Oh, is that a fact?
The standard VAT rate for importing items into Germany is 19%, with certain products, for example books, newspapers and magazines, attracting VAT at the reduced rate of 7%. VAT is calculated on the value of the goods, plus the international shipping costs and insurance, plus any import duty due.
I was specifically responding to an earlier post that dealt with the driving forces of Germany’s immediate post-WWII recovery.
But since you brought up the VAT, it is essentially a multi-level sales or excise tax - not a tariff. The VAT applies to all goods sold in Germany, regardless of where they are produced. The same is true for sales taxes in the U.S. If you buy a Japanese-built Lexus in Georgia, for example, you will pay the same state and local sales taxes as you would if you bought a U.S.-built vehicle. If we adopted a VAT, which many here on FR advocate, our VAT would undoubtedly apply to imported goods as well as domestically manufactured goods.