[Salvation]

**French wine exports to Japan drop**

LOL!

[bonesmccoy]

It's funny... the French guy is saying that "weak economic activity" was responsible for their fall in marketshare.

Gee... I wonder why.

In my March/April they hamper freedom in the Middle East.

In May, the French notice the effects of a "liquor tax".

I just looked up info on this liquor tax... the EU has been complaining to the Japanese about this tax for five years!

If the tax has been there, I doubt that the tax is really all that related to the downturn in consumption... unless the Japanese gov't changed their policy or increased taxation in early 2003.

still looking for more info.