Trump warns of 100 percent tariffs in message to Macron
Ulviyya Poladova
Read moreUS President Donald Trump has warned that the United States may impose 100 percent tariffs on French wine and champagne if France does not abolish its digital services tax on American technology companies, AzerNEWS reports.
Trump stated that he directly conveyed the warning to French President Emmanuel Macron, urging Paris to remove the 3 percent tax applied to revenues generated in France by major US tech firms, including Alphabet, Amazon, and Apple.
"I asked him not to charge American companies, and if they do, I have no choice but to charge a 100 percent tariff on all champagnes and all wines coming out of France," Trump said in an interview with The New York Post. He added that the removal of the tax would eliminate the need for such trade measures.
The digital services tax, introduced by France in 2019, applies to large multinational technology companies earning significant revenue in the French market. The policy has long been a point of contention in transatlantic trade relations.
Reports also note that Trump has previously threatened similar tariffs on European alcohol imports during earlier periods of trade tensions between the United States and the European Union. Wine and spirits remain among the EU’s most valuable exports to the US, with annual trade worth approximately €9 billion.
Image: Michael Kappeler / Getty Images
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