2 hours ago, FlorC said:

You only get taxed more when buying foreign products.

 

Trump's tariffs are less than import cost + the high VAT in europe.

 

So now americans get somewhat the same treatment that euros get.

Whether that be tariffs or import costs and VAT , only the euros pay it on everything,

foreign or domestic (except for some lower taxes food items).

 

 

 

My point was that, as it is a tax, it's not surprising that it contributes to reduce the deficit.

 

As to your claim, you need to factor in that there are already State and local sales taxes in the US, averaging 7.5%.

 

Compared to the EU, average import tax of 2% + average VAT 15%, around 17%. 

To compare with the U.S. 15% import  tax from the EU + 7.5% sales tax= 22.5%

I find the tax threats against the foreigner retirees in Thailand on their foreign earned revenu, far more idiotic as it is just killing the golden goose and making those who bring money to Thailand, leave or not to come back that often as before as they just are fed up. 

Bill Maher supports Trump tariffs.

Bill Maher says many countries trading practices with the US were "out of line" and Trump is correcting it. 

NATO wasn't paying their fair share.

And says Trump is anti-war. 

 

 

3 hours ago, phetphet said:

if tariffs are paid by US manufacturers on imported raw materials, let's say steel, aluminium or copper. Surely those costs will have to be passed on to the customers, be they US customers or export customers.

So for example, how can a US produced Tesla built with tariffed imports compete with a Chinese built BYD? They are on a hiding to nothing from the start. 

Where Trump went wrong was he should have secured materials and supply lines before trying to blackmail everyone.

I bet he won't try sticking tariffs on China's rare earths.

 

"We have a bigger weapon against China than their rare earths. We have Boeing aircraft spare parts." Yeah right!

"But I won't use it."  Ha Ha!!!

Exactly, and not only China.

Actually, provided tariffed components represent a significant share of product costs, the same product using the same components will be cheaper to produce in any country outside the U.S. Following this logic, a US company who wants to sell outside the U.S. would need to move production outside the U.S. in order to be competitive on the global market.

4 hours ago, Slowhand225 said:

Except just a couple days ago, Fortune magazine did an article that the CBO (congressional budge office) say they're predicting a So Trump’s BBB — his $4T binge to give billionaires tax breaks — gets ‘covered’ by a tariff tax that ordinary consumers pay.

 

Quote from article-
The CBO report found that increased tariffs—many targeting imports from China, Mexico, Canada, and the European Union as well as automobiles, steel, and other goods—have raised effective tariff rates by about 18 percentage points compared to last year. If these rates remain, primary deficits would shrink by $3.3 trillion and interest payments would fall by another $700 billion, bringing the total deficit reduction to $4 trillion over 10 years.

CBO never said '4B surplus.'
 

Deficit reduction of '4T over 10 years' still leaves about '20T in cumulative deficits.' No surplus anywhere in sight.
 

So Trump’s 2025 BBB — a $4T binge in tax breaks for billionaires — gets ‘covered’ by a tariff tax that ordinary consumers pay.
 

Meanwhile, Trump’s 2017 tax cuts (TCJA) blew a '1.9T hole in revenue' — handing the biggest gains to billionaires and corporations.
 

And Trump 1.0 already added '7.8T to the national debt in just four years,' the biggest one-term surge in U.S. history.
 

Who pays for the supposed fix? U.S. consumers and businesses — not China.
 

Put it all together and you get the 'biggest transfer of wealth in U.S. history' — from ordinary Americans to the billionaire class.
 

Trump, the Reverse Robin Hood. The working class who voted for him — you’ve been conned.

 

6 hours ago, Slowhand225 said:

Except just a couple days ago, Fortune magazine did an article that the CBO (congressional budge office) say they're predicting a 4B surplus over the next 10 yrs

 

Quote from article-
The CBO report found that increased tariffs—many targeting imports from China, Mexico, Canada, and the European Union as well as automobiles, steel, and other goods—have raised effective tariff rates by about 18 percentage points compared to last year. If these rates remain, primary deficits would shrink by $3.3 trillion and interest payments would fall by another $700 billion, bringing the total deficit reduction to $4 trillion over 10 years.

Gosh!  Golly!  Where is all that dang money coming from?

14 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Countries like India, Thailand, South Korea, and New Zealand have already announced service suspensions until further notice, citing logistical challenges and uncertainty over the US’s tariff policies.

 

 

8 hours ago, save the frogs said:

Bill Maher supports Trump tariffs.

Bill Maher says many countries trading practices with the US were "out of line" and Trump is correcting it. 

NATO wasn't paying their fair share.

And says Trump is anti-war. 

 

 

It took four years from the sidelines for trump to see how the world was taking advantage, primarily europe

Little by little, the costs of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs are starting to show for American businesses and consumers. MAGA devotees are going to be royally pissed off a year from now when inflation really starts raging and job losses climb. 

 

News of the tariff impact is mounting, from the Detroit Three automakers announcing they'll face extra costs this year totalling into the billions, to the stainless steel cookware manufacturer in Tennessee hit with a $75,000 US tariff bill on one shipment, right down to the coffee shops considering boosting the price of a cup because of tariffs on Brazil.

Until recently, companies have somewhat shielded U.S. consumers from the full effects of the tariffs, either by rushing supplies into the country ahead of Trump's deadlines or absorbing the levies as a cost of doing business.

 

But with tariffs on imports from roughly 100 U.S. trading partners due to rise this week from their current baseline of 10 per cent, tariff-related costs are headed nowhere but up. I think the administration is going to have a really hard time trying to convince the American people that some of the price increases they're seeing are because of other factors not related to the tariffs," Durante said in an interview with CBC News.

 

"I just don't think most people are going to be fooled by that," he said. The Reuters tracker currently shows 22 U.S. companies raising prices, including retail giants (Walmart, Best Buy), footwear brands (Nike, Crocs, Birkenstock) and big-name makers of household goods (Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, Clorox).

It's hard to imagine many American consumers haven't bought something from those businesses this year.

 

Other big-name U.S. firms have in recent days reported tariff impacts:

Tech giant Apple says it faced $800 million in tariff-related costs last quarter alone, and expects that to rise to $1.1 billion this quarter.

 

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway blames tariffs in part for a 5.1 per cent quarterly decline in revenue in its consumer goods division, which includes brands like Fruit of the Loom.

 

Tool manufacturer Stanley Black & Decker estimates its tariff costs will hit $800 million this year.

 

Those corporate figures don't touch on another trend emerging in the U.S. economy: the downturn in visits by international travellers, dramatically so from Canada.

 

Perhaps that's not exactly tariff-related, but Trump slamming other nations on trade by describing them as nasty, unfair and ripping off the U.S. is not exactly what you'd call a warm and welcoming tourism ad campaign either. The US is ending a longtime exception that allowed parcels worth less than $800 to avoid tariffs, starting Friday.

 

Consumers may encounter surprise bills for tariffs on deliveries, as Chris Pawlukiewicz did when he owed $934 in tariffs on high-end computer parts he ordered from overseas.

 

www.bloomberg.com/news/...-costs

 

www.cbc.ca/news/world/donald-trump-tariffs-cost-consumers-businesses-us-1.7600966

18 hours ago, candide said:

My point was that, as it is a tax, it's not surprising that it contributes to reduce the deficit.

 

As to your claim, you need to factor in that there are already State and local sales taxes in the US, averaging 7.5%.

 

Compared to the EU, average import tax of 2% + average VAT 15%, around 17%. 

To compare with the U.S. 15% import  tax from the EU + 7.5% sales tax= 22.5%

In my country VAT is 21 %, on basic food 6 %.

Anything imported from the US has import costs + VAT on those costs.

Still more than YOU in the US.

That 21 % VAT is on everything but :

Trump's tariffs are only on the IMPORT  price which is WAY lower than what you pay for it in the stores.

1 hour ago, FlorC said:

In my country VAT is 21 %, on basic food 6 %.

Anything imported from the US has import costs + VAT on those costs.

Still more than YOU in the US.

That 21 % VAT is on everything but :

Trump's tariffs are only on the IMPORT  price which is WAY lower than what you pay for it in the stores.

Ok. You are right. That's a relevant remark on the tax aspect.

Thoughts & Prayers ™️

 

 

As long as the libs are getting owned it's ok.

 

 

On 8/28/2025 at 2:37 PM, jerrymahoney said:

The big iEEPA tariff case is now awaiting the Washington DC federal appeals court decision. Only to note here that of the 2 lead legal teams against the government one is funded by the Koch interests, and the other by the Uehleins -- who were the number 4 donors to Trump's 2024 campaign.

Buyer’s remorse.