Posted on 12/03/2019 6:53:19 AM PST by Olog-hai
France is threatening a “strong European riposte” if the Trump administration follows through on a proposal to hit French cheese, Champagne, handbags and other products with tariffs — of up to 100%.
The U.S. Trade Representative proposed the tariffs on $2.4 billion in goods Monday in retaliation for a French tax on global tech giants including Google, Amazon and Facebook.
“I’m not in love with those (tech) companies, but they’re our companies,” Trump said Tuesday ahead of a sure-to-be-tense meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in London.
The move is likely to increase trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe. Trump said the European Union should “shape up, otherwise things are going to get very tough.”
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the U.S. tariff threat is “simply unacceptable. … It’s not the behavior we expect from the United States toward one of its main allies.”
Le Maire said the French tech tax is aimed at “establishing tax justice.” France wants digital companies to pay their fair share of taxes in countries where they make money instead of using tax havens, and is pushing for an international agreement on the issue. …
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in London, Darlene Superville and Paul Wiseman in Washington and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed to this report.So, a total of six AP hacks wrote this. Never mind their thinly concealing the fact that France is the tax aggressor here and actually has the nerve to say that they actually expect the US to lay down and die in face of their abuse. (Guess they do want cheese with their whines.)
We’ll boycott Peugeot......................
What will they do? Double the price of goat cheese? Or refuse to use Facebook and Google?
Sounds win-win to me.
“Champagnes” grown and made in the USA are technically referred to as “Sparkling Wine”
Same ingredients and process... but not originated in the Champagne region of France.
““I’m not in love with those (tech) companies, but they’re our companies,” Trump said...”
The man does know how to play the game...
That was a concession to the EUSSR, who at one point insisted that only regionally-named-and-made products (e.g. Champagne from Champagne, cheddar cheese from Cheddar, even parmesan cheese from Italy) could be labeled with their traditional names, and even insisted on imposing this on the entire planet.
France is now our enemy.
*France* and *threaten* in the same sentence. Hilarious.
This from the country that perfected the art of marching backwards.
That’ll show ‘em.
There are *a lot* of excellent wines and champagnes from the US.
I have a friend who is a wine connoisseur; he is adamant about that.
The whole French champagne thing is hyped snob appeal.
Who cares? We have Champipple and brown bags!
Actually the protection of geographic origins can be traced back to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property of 1883 (yes, 1883) which slightly predates the EUSSR...the USA has been a member to that treaty since 1887 as one of the earliest signatories, btw...
“Who cares? We have Champipple and brown bags!”
Also have WPLJ (White Port And Lemon Juice).
No champagne toast at my daughter’s wedding next year.
Even though it cannot be called ‘champagne’ by law,there are plenty of USA carbonated wines available..............
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne
https://drizly.com/wine/champagne-sparkling-wine/american-champagne-sparkling-wine/co1991-c196553
LOVE this president!
By whose law, though? Mostly the EUSSR.
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