WTO: Boeing Received Some $24 Billion in Illegal Subsidies From U.S. Government
By Curtis Cartier, Mon., Jan. 31 2011
The latest ruling in the Europe/America-gives-illegal-money-to-its-principal-aircraft-manufacturer saga has been handed down. And the score stands at 1-1.
The AP reports today that the World Trade Organization has released a report to U.S. and European officials that shows that Boeing received almost $24 billion in illegal subsides from the U.S. government in the form of free services, research grants, and the use of technology.
The findings come almost a year after the same organization found that European countries were doing pretty much the same thing with Boeing’s main competitor, Airbus.
The report hasn’t been made public yet, and likely won’t be for several more months.
On cue, an Airbus spokesperson swooped in to blast Boeing and its wicked doings. Per AP:
“From today, Boeing can no longer pretend that it doesn’t benefit from generous and illegal state subsidies. It has been doing so from the start and it’s time to stop the denial,” said Rainer Ohler, Airbus’s head of public affairs and communications.
Both Airbus and Boeing have appealed previous rulings, as they each seem not to relish the idea of a trade organization rifling through their government-subsidy accounting.
But with trillions of dollars in aircraft contracts up for grabs, it seems unlikely that the under-the-table financing will cease, but rather that people will just get sneakier about it.
http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2011/01/wto_boeing_received_24_billion.php
Boeing is no different than Government Motors. Look at the virtual fence that didn’t work. That was a billion dollar boondoggle that Boeing’s friends in DC gave it.
Boeing is no different than Government Motors. Look at the virtual fence that didn’t work. That was a billion dollar boondoggle that Boeing’s friends in DC gave it.
EU has been screwing US corporations for years- looks like payback time.
It's simply a counter accusation with no real basis but grabs the headlines and obfuscate the issue.
Airbus for years has been receiving massive subsidies. Boeing receiving defense contracts for dedicated defense platforms as does EADS hardly represents a subsidy as Airbus receives for the development of airframes intended for the commercial market. Hell, the origin of the organization Airbus, it's CREATION is from state money and the merging of nationally owned aerospace firms and the entire business model of Airbus rewards those nations who subsidize by basing manufacturing there. The more you subsidize, the more manufacturing is based in your country. Years past it was near gross watching how Airbus was given preferential treatment by all the at that time nationally held airlines that of course bought the nationally owned and subsidized airplane builders plane........ At Frankfurt International, an airport majority owned by the combination of federal, state of Hessen and city of Frankfurt so called private business, you of course have the hub for Lufthansa (until the late 90s a nationally owned firm) and hangers paid for through tax money.......it's sick and you see politicians within the European political sphere go back and forth within the EADS/Airbus worlds because in reality this is pseudo private firm. No, EADS/Airbus is an obscenity, a disgusting example of where government is in bed with business and Boeing for decades has not had a fair shake in Europe. That alone is reason for a big “nein” or “non” and them complaining is ironic.