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Trump's tariffs on European cars — a massive own goal?
dw.com ^ | March 5, 2018 | Nik Martin

Posted on 03/05/2018 10:09:05 PM PST by Berlin_Freeper

US President Donald Trump's vow to step-up protectionist policies to boost the US car industry could lead to a 10-percent drop in profits for German automakers, Germany's Center for Automotive Research (CAR) has warned.

The trade barriers would see the European Union's alliance with America "deteriorate significantly," the center's director, Ferdinand Dudenhöffer told DW. He said Trump's desire to "punish" Washington's main trading partners in Europe would inevitably end in a messy divorce that would hurt US car manufacturers more.

(Excerpt) Read more at dw.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Germany
KEYWORDS: angelamerkel; automakers; deutschewelle; eupropaganda; europeanunion; eushill; ferdinanddudenhffer; ferdinanddudenhoffer; germany; keywordrage; tariffs; trumptariffs
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To: AZLiberty

Free Trade looks good on paper.

Add a couple of million cheaters and a couple dozen slavemaster governments and the working model is not so smooth running.


21 posted on 03/06/2018 5:44:02 AM PST by anton
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To: Berlin_Freeper

Isn’t funny how quick the EU is to threaten retaliation with new tariffs of their own when all Trump is proposing is to start doing to them what they have been doing to us for decades. Only the idiotic “leaders” in the USA believe in the fairly tale hoax of “free trade”.


22 posted on 03/06/2018 5:47:26 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: GOPe Means Bend Over Spell Run
Who gives a crap if US car makers lose sales of cars they make in Mexico, if the result is they actually start making cars in America with American citizen labor! Screw every country that has been stealing our manufacturing jobs to sell the finished products back to us at huge profits.

Can I get an Amen?

23 posted on 03/06/2018 5:49:35 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: iontheball
We defend the world and they screw us with tariffs.

It looks like the USA's middle class has been enslaved by the globalists and we are supposed to watch our wealth disappear and fight and die in God forsaken places for the rest of the world. THIS HAS TO END.

24 posted on 03/06/2018 5:52:23 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn)
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To: Bookshelf
In addition US cars must meet crazy German standards.

Are there German, or more likely EU, standards that are more onerous than California standards, which are the de facto standards any carmaker must meet to sell in the US?

25 posted on 03/06/2018 8:07:48 AM PST by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
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To: Wolfie

VAT applies to German/EU makers as well (any product or service whatsoever). How is it a disadvantage for US makers? Only the consumer is getting screwed, seems to me.


26 posted on 03/06/2018 8:12:29 AM PST by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
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To: central_va

Mar 6 2018 10:56:18
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ID: 3c553f
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Do you believe in coincidences?
Only the beginning.
https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1GH2SM?__twitter_impression=true
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27 posted on 03/06/2018 8:22:11 AM PST by iontheball (lLL)
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To: Spktyr
You give politicians too much credit and too little to bad management, bad designs/engineering and poor assembly. It was in this period that Detroit began engineering cars to deliberately last no longer than the average loan term.

I agree with you regarding domestic manufacturer management and design issues.

But the best solution for America was not for politicians and bureaucrats to just allow (or aid and abet) foreign companies to take over a substantial portion of the auto market, which is exactly what they did. And not because they wanted Americans to have a better selection of auomobiles. The US government isn't that altruistic.

We know that even today there are politicians who would give away a hundred million dollars in taxpayer monety for a $50,000 dollar contribution to their own campaign fund.

Imagine how many hundreds of billions of dollars (maybe even trillions) in wealth have been sucked out of the US economy and gone into the coffers of foreign auto companies and their home countries in the last 50 years.

That continuing transfer of wealth has helped to build powerful economies in other nations and had a tremendous negative impact on our economy.

The way Detroit looks today compared to 50 years ago isn't entirely due to race issues.
The loss of auto manufacturing and high paying jobs has played a huge role in the decline of Detroit.

Prior to the 1970's Detroit wasn't just the center of the US auto industry - it was the center of the auto industry for the world.
The loss of auto manufacturing and high paying jobs has played a huge role in the decline of Detroit.

In the 1970's and later years many people were complaining to our government that while we were allowing foreign manufacturers (primarily Japan and Germany at that time) open access to the US market they were effectively blocking access to their markets for US automakers. It was mostly done through taxes and subterfuge; like setting stringent performance and safety rules that were written specifically to limit US sales.

Our politicians did almost nothing to address the imbalance.

Even back then the US Congress and State Department had globalist aspirations and often worked against the national interests of the US aand US citizens to create wealth transfer to foreign states. It was (and is) just another form of US government meddling in foreign affairs in the interest of nation building at the expense of and to the detriment of American workers and taxpayers.


28 posted on 03/06/2018 10:41:25 AM PST by Iron Munro (If Illegals voted Rebublican 66 Million Democrats Would Be Screaming "Build The Wall!")
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To: Berlin_Freeper
"Own goal"?

I think that is an expression from some sport they like to play in Europe.

29 posted on 03/06/2018 11:10:40 AM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Moltke

The VAT is refunded on exports. Essentially a govt subsidy benefiting German exports while penalizing imports.


30 posted on 03/06/2018 12:00:43 PM PST by Wolfie
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To: Moltke

de facto standard? Are you telling me that Ferrari has to build its car to meet California’s standard?


31 posted on 03/06/2018 1:55:55 PM PST by Bookshelf
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Comment #32 Removed by Moderator

To: Bookshelf

I don’t know, but why would Ferrari be exempt? Also, a maker with zero-point-something percent of the market is hardly a good example.


33 posted on 03/07/2018 2:02:36 AM PST by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
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To: Wolfie

I believe the VAT isn’t levied on exports in the first place. In any case, within the EU, where all makers compete with each other, the VAT rules apply the same to all players. That is no disadvantage to US makers.

The “problem” is that what US makers have to offer is not in much demand in Europe. Guess how many pickup trucks you see on the roads? Almost none.


34 posted on 03/07/2018 2:08:28 AM PST by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
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To: Moltke

US goods are hit with a VAT when they enter Germany. The VAT is removed from German exports to U.S., which are imported to the U.S. with no additional cost. THAT is the advantage for German manufacturing.


35 posted on 03/07/2018 6:21:00 AM PST by Wolfie
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To: Wolfie

Still makes no sense. Your first statement is imprecise at best. US goods have VAT added to them when SOLD in Germany, as do all German goods. Same, same.

Both US and German cars have VAT added, paid by the buyer, when sold in Germany. The VAT is neither a profit nor a loss to the maker, be they German or US.

Neither US nor German makers have VAT added to their selling price in the US - just some taxes by a different name. Again, same, same.

There is NO VAT-related advantage for German makers. You do not seem to understand what VAT is. It is always, always, always the end consumer who pays it. Makers couldn’t care less.


36 posted on 03/07/2018 9:03:45 AM PST by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building.)
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To: Bookshelf

“” “” Taxes on US cars imported into Germany are (tax and value added) approximately thirty percent. “” “”

To be honest Chrysler and Chevrolet has reputation similar to that of Lada in Germany.
Fiat is higher in their hierarchy.
The price is not that big on an issue but the quality is.
Also most Chevrolet cars nowadays are rebadged German Opels with altered body panels and cheaper interiors.
And Opel isn’t particularly loved too. They have a saying:’Year are not merciful and tend to turn every good car into Opel’.


37 posted on 03/09/2018 3:19:25 AM PST by NorseViking
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