this post was submitted on 08 Apr 2025
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European Union leaders will consider imposing 25 percent tariffs on a range of US imports, including steel, clothes, and food, but not bourbon or other alcoholic drinks, following US President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on imports from the EU.

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[–] MyOpinion@lemm.ee 155 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Big mistake. They should focus on Bourbon and food. That will hit MAGAts the hardest.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

kentuckys economy is exclusively bourban, or at least most of it.

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago

And Kentucky is full of magats

[–] Skiluros@sh.itjust.works 88 points 1 week ago (7 children)

No, bourbon and food is small fry.

Internet services headquartered in the US. That's the real deal.

Require a $100/per computer/per year on-going tax (phased in very slowly over 36 months, with extremely slow ramp in the first 18 months) for every enterprise Windows installation. Then figure out a similar approach for cloud computing and mobile enterprise (targeting Android/iOS). That's how you grab the Americans by the balls.

[–] eric5949@lemmy.world 47 points 1 week ago (16 children)

That windows tax sounds like a way to bring about the year of the Linux desktop and I like that idea.

[–] Skiluros@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That windows tax sounds like a way to bring about the year of the Linux desktop and I like that idea.

I recognize the irony of "year of linux on the desktop", but we (not only EU, I say this as someone from non-EU Europe) should not be giving the Americans money. They've proven that they are unreliable and unwilling to deal with corruption and degeneracy in their country. No disrespect to sane Americans, but at the end of the day they too need to make things happen.

[–] eric5949@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

For the record, I'm american. Entire current situation aside, I would prefer my chosen operating system have more support and if I can at least get that out of the destruction of the only country I've ever lived in I mean that's something I guess.

But yeah you probably shouldn't be financing the Nazis of the 2020s that is true, and taxing people who do would probably cut down on that.

[–] Skiluros@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

As I said, no disrespect to sane Americans.

I've lived in the US and travelled extensively around the country (not only Manhattan and north-western part of LA), there are many sane Americans even in provincial pro-corruption hotspots.

But until the sane Americans implement true anti-corruption, judicial and election reforms (no Obama style "hope and change" bullshit), it is reasonable to expect nothing good to come out of the US. Even if a hypothetical Michelle Obama administration takes power in the next election (which is a giant if), that's not going to change anything until the Americans stop treating their oligarchs and criminal groups as sacred cows.

[–] eric5949@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

You're preaching to the choir man I've been beating this drum with increasing volume for years. We need 20 million+ of us on the national mall demanding a new constitution and government under threat of 1789 and I don't honestly know if that's possible.

Michelle Obama or any Dem won't be taking power in 2028, if the above doesn't happen 2028 isn't a real election and if it does the United States Government as it currently exists doesn't anymore so who even knows what the structure of our government will be.

Idk don't count on us getting our shit together, trump could literally genocide Hispanics on American soil and 1/3 of Americans would strongly approve specifically genociding Hispanics. Even if we recover from this, things will get worse for Americans as our empire crumbles, and in 40 years when I'm the boomer and my friends are all the boomers, we'll collectively beg for the good old days we grew up in when the American Empire was still strong, and we'll collectively vote for the new nationalists of the day to make America great again again.

I should mention that while I'm a fan of democracy and would never want to live under another system of government I do not and have never believed democracy to be long term sustainable. Maybe I would if I lived in a real one idk but y'all still got far right problems over there in most of the former empires so idk.

[–] Skiluros@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

I honestly don't know what to say other than I wish you luck (no irony intended); it will benefit both you and me and you and our countries (and the world).

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[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 38 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Lets be realistic here, everything from MAGA dominated states is small fry, they are not exactly the most productive states.

[–] terminhell@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Devils advocate, most of those states are agriculture heavy. What do you mean by productive?

[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 12 points 6 days ago

I mean they are literally some of the poorest US states with the lowest GDP per capita, the highest poverty rates, the highest rates of people who need government support,... and most relevant for this discussion, the least valuable exports.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 35 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Even better: services. Tariff Facebook ads, Netflix subscriptions, Office 365, Amazon Prime. If the corporations want to pull the strings in government, hit them directly.

[–] Skiluros@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago

Yes, that would be part of it. Windows on enterprise is just a good, simple example.

[–] FelixCress@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago

Invoke anti coercion regulations and suspend intellectual property rights of the US companies. Job done.

[–] Ideonek@lemm.ee 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think that surprising amount of them are already located in Ireland for that and other tax related possibilities. Giant corporations are basically pirates sailing on lawless waters.

[–] Skiluros@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Target HQ based on consolidated financial account reporting not regional HQ. Doesn't matter if you have a regional subsidiary in Ireland or Moldova. If the final accounts/HQs are US-based all transactions in Europe get hit with massive on-going subscription-style tariffs (since ICT services are largely subscription based).

[–] Ideonek@lemm.ee 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

If only tax-evasion was so easily solved. The are not shy of restructuring completely just to fit into any gap that law created. On paper "BigBadCorpo US" and "BigBadCorpo Irealand" could be two completely separate entities, with BBCI turning zero to no profits becouse it license brand from BBCUS.

You would think that Worner Bross is a movie making company. It's not. On paper it's a company that lend very overprices movie equipment. To shell companies created solely for the purpose of creating one movie...

Taxes are hard and people who employ literal armies of layers have the edge over slow law making.

[–] brot@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago

You can do a lot against tax evasions - if you want. Yes, they will find loopholes. But you can close them. Quickly - if you want. They have literal armies of lawyers? Well, hire armies of clerks, they will pay for themselves and make laws without loopholes.

[–] Skiluros@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago (10 children)

Taxes are hard and people who employ literal armies of layers have the edge over slow law making.

While this is true, it's also a matter of desire and commitment.

Case in point, the US companies all publish consolidated accounts and often break out Europe, albeit sometimes it's EMEA not Europe.

You can target the final consolidated accounts and focus on revenues if the companies don't provide actual numbers for Europe (or if it looks like there is something fishy going on, which there is).

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[–] atzanteol@sh.itjust.works 26 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Yeah, that's an odd one to leave out. US alcohol isn't any form of necessity either.

[–] Danquebec@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 days ago

Maybe it's to avoid tarrifs on European alcohols?

[–] sirico@feddit.uk 8 points 1 week ago

Maybe there's a export like rye that the EU provides

[–] PotatoLibre@feddit.it 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They should tax digital products.

[–] MyOpinion@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago

Digital Providers are large donors but they are located in a blue state. Target the states with the votes that mater.

[–] Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Right, why are countries not coordinating counter tariffs. Why isn't EU and Canada and others joining up to target some of the biggest donors and supporters

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