EU prepares sweeping tariffs on hundreds of US imports from cranberries to motorboats

On the face of it, it certainly does not!
But Germany puts quite high ‘car tax’ on the sale of all new cars, even its own cars. Plus 19% vat on top of the car and car tax.
I don’t know if the figures you gave are only a way of levelling the playing field?
Lots of countries in Europe put high taxes in the sale of new cars like this.

frankdamp said:

Bernhard

I think tRump has gone bankrupt three times over the years. I think he expected to be the "CEO of the USA", not having realised that he only controlled the Presidency.

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Then its a good job he is not the CEO of H/D- or H/D would go bankrupt PDQ- his latest statement is that H/D should only be built in America!

H/D has been subject to protection from former US president, namely Ronald Regan who imposed import tax on ALL bikes of over 700cc –that is why there is a glut of 700cc four cylinders from the 1980s which nobody wants.

The 19% is a value added tax, what is called a sales tax in the US and it applies equally to German made cars, EU made cars and US made cars, the 10% import tax from non EU countries is the only differential as the 19% applies to all cars. The VAT rate changes from country to country in the EU and is 20% in the UK. Where you would have an issue is that the VAT is applied after the import duty has been added, so you pay 19% of the import duty when the car rolls out the showroom as the 19% applies to the final bill unless you are a VAT registered company where you pay the VAT but then claim it back.

I will only state in a totally NON-POLITICAL MANNER, that the current, and many past administrations in the U.S., are PRESENTLY engaged in various levels of unconstitutional behavior.

Our constitution was written (by the PEOPLE) directing the government to impose tariffs and excise taxes in order to fund it's ENTIRE constitutionally authorized and carefully defined scope of operations.

Due to a world-wide crisis, TEMPORARY personal income tax was ordered by congress to engage in a World War. The constitutional amendment was NOT fully and legally ratified making the personal federal income tax a PERMANENT tax. Due to this gross unconstitutional behavior, the government found it could simply expand it's power and largess by continuing to raise taxes on the governed - FLATLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

Fast-forward to the present: The current president is moving (successfully) to RETURN to constitutional operation. It could take a generation to level the ship of state, but at least it is a start.

ALL COUNTRIES IMPOSE TARIFFS AND TRADE RESTRICTIONS, we are no different.

In the UK's case income tax came in to pay to fight Napoleon, who is also to blame for the Metric system. Income tax introduction was also said to be temporary. So our lot got the lie in earlier than your lot

The whole thing is BS.

So called "fair trade" deals such as NAFTA are anything but free. They are pure cronyism. If political bribe takers, and their union and corporate bribe payers, truly wanted actual free trade, then bribes wouldn't be paid and governments wouldn't negotiate tariffs on this or that.

Just let people buy and sell at the prices and terms they agree upon. Let the countries that make this best/cheapest win, and let other countries who make that best/cheapest win too. And if your country doesn't make anything well or cheaply . . . . then you are poor and you have an incentive to fix it; it's usually your government's fault.

xbacksideslider said:

Just let people buy and sell at the prices and terms they agree upon. Let the countries that make this best/cheapest win, and let other countries who make that best/cheapest win too. And if your country doesn't make anything well or cheaply . . . . then you are poor and you have an incentive to fix it; it's usually your government's fault.

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We all see the massive flaw in that statement, the Chinese and others in the Far East and elsewhere will make everything cheaper to keep its expanding population fed and watered, whilst the rest of us will be kicking our heels with no work to keep a roof over our head! -Oh happy days!

In Australia we had both GM and Ford building cars. From 1948 to about 1995, due to lack of competition and tariff protection the quality of all their models were inferior to similar cars which were being sold in America. The kids these days have no idea about the sorts of garbage we used to drive and the road toll used to be horrendous. However that does not detract from the fact that many blue-collar workers survived on money earned on car production lines. These days most avenues for social progression have been shut off, because our jobs are now offshore. The only sector which is now booming in Australia is the construction industry which builds high-rise apartments. What we now hear from our government are mainly platitudes. Yet idiots still vote for them - many people seem to have a strong need to believe what is being told to them.

In any industry there are usually four operational risk areas involved - quality, safety, environment and security. Managing them properly is a balancing act which the Chinese do not do very well. If you can legitimately operate without regard for those risk areas, it is much easier to make a profit. Have a look at the statistics on deaths and injuries in Chinese workplaces and their record on environmental pollution. Also how many quality issues are there with Chinese manufactured goods ? - Grenfell Tower ?