Here's the story with the Chicken Tax

Fri, Dec 12 2014

Quiz America's auto enthusiasts about the vehicles they most want to see in the US market, and for every one that doesn't respond with a French hot hatchback or some diesel-powered offering, there'd be at least three that ask for some small, imported pickup truck. That won't happen, though, and we have the Chicken Tax to thank.

This damnable bit of legislation affixes a 25-percent tariff to any light truck not built in the United States. That's why Honda, Toyota and Nissan build all their trucks in the United States, and it's also why pickups like the foreign-built Volkswagen Amarok, shown above, or the long-rumored Mahindra pickup aren't offered here.

Wired has the story on the roots of the Chicken Tax, including how one Japanese manufacturer got around it and even delivered a vehicle to one of our country's presidents. Head over and check it out.

By Brandon Turkus