Quotas instead of tariffs & supply chains on public blockchains

tl;dr: Ditch tariffs. Use gradually increasing onshoring quotas enforced via public blockchains to build resilient, transparent supply chains—without sparking retaliation.

With quotas, there’s no need for counter-tariffs—meaning consumers aren’t hit with immediate additional price hikes.

Quotas could be phased in, gradually requiring that a rising share of goods (e.g. semiconductors, steel, etc.) be made domestically. This would give industries time to adapt while avoiding trade wars.

Let’s say the end goal is a minimum of 50% domestic production after a 10-year transition period, with quotas gradually increasing until that target is reached.

This approach protects local industries from being priced out by regions with little or no labor or environmental standards, while also incentivising onshoring of industries not currently located locally.

The other 50% can be sourced from diversified allied regions, with no more than 15% from any single foreign region—balancing resilience, redundancy, and global cooperation.

Why are they doing tariffs instead of quotas?

Enforcement/oversight is the tricky part—because today, quota enforcement would rely on a mix of self-reporting, third-party audits, and government inspections, all of which can be opaque, slow, and prone to manipulation. It’s hard to verify where things are actually made, especially across complex, multi-national supply chains.

Public blockchains can fix this by making supply chain data transparent, tamper-proof, and verifiable in real time. Each step in the production process—from raw material sourcing to final assembly—can be logged on-chain. Smart contracts could automatically flag violations or confirm compliance with quota requirements.

No more black boxes, forged paperwork, or delayed audits. Just open, decentralized accountability.

Thoughts?