Comment by Symbiote
8 days ago
Can you provide an example, especially for the EU?
From what I read, the average tariff applied by the EU is under 1%. Other comments say Trump has just divided imports by exports to calculate his tariff rates.
8 days ago
Can you provide an example, especially for the EU?
From what I read, the average tariff applied by the EU is under 1%. Other comments say Trump has just divided imports by exports to calculate his tariff rates.
On a trade weighted basis it’s more like 3%-4%. The US is indeed lower on average, but marginally by like 1-2% on average.
But I think the concern is more key industries for the US like autos, tech (EU never ending fines are essentially tariffs), etc. where the disparity is more dramatic. But it’s still not a 20% difference.
Another concern is the devaluation of the Euro vs the dollar due to certain economic policies. Which again is a defacto tariff.
Anyways, my guess is this is a negotiating position since 20% seems excessive, but I could be wrong.
EU's fines are not tariffs. They are fines for breaking the law. EU companies are also fined.
In fact, every EU big tech company has already been fined a trillion EUR! All 0 of them.
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I see this devolving into a circular argument.
But you can rebrand tariffs as “fines” all you want.
When they’re applied wildly disproportionately to certain firms in a certain industry from a certain 3rd party country…it’s a defacto tariff.
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> EU never ending fines are essentially tariffs)
Comply with EU legislation for activity within the EU and there are no fines so it’s hardly a tariff
Listen I get this is wildly counter-narrative on HN (all tech legislation = good and EU = default good on this forum) so I will never win this argument.
But I’ve dealt closely with EU compliance on these matters, and the fines are absolutely levied selectively and in bad faith on areas that are impossible to comply with on the timelines provided or ever. They have absolutely turned into strategically punitive taxes on an industry that the EU has no answer to, so in effect, yes, they are tariffs.
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I mean, if you respect the law, you don't get fined. How hard it is?
Also it's not as if the US doesn't fine EU banks disproportionately compared to US ones.
Yep, and if you respect the tariff, you don't get fined. How hard is it?
"THE LAW IS THE LAW" is not an logical argument. Tariffs are also imposed via legislation (laws).
Just as EU companies have to abide by EU privacy regs, US firms also have to abide by US tariff regs.
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This whole "the EU fining us for breaking EU law is a tariff" narrative is such BS. The big tech companies just don't like the privacy & consumer protection laws in the EU so now they're getting the US government to help them bully the EU into submission.
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