Tariffs on Harleys, bourbon & blue jeans – how Europe plans to retaliate against Trump
The European Union is planning to answer US tariffs on steel and aluminum by hiking tariffs on various goods coming from America.
In an eight-page document sent to the World Trade Organization seen by Reuters, Brussels has specified which American goods will be taxed. Some of the tariffs would hurt the electoral districts of some of President Donald Trump’s allies.
This includes “motorcycles... of a cylinder capacity above 800 cc,” – targeting Harley-Davidson, which assembles in Wisconsin, the home state of House Speaker Paul Ryan, as well as bourbon whiskey, aimed at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky. They are getting a 25-percent import tariff, like European steel got.
The other items on the list are various, and include blue jeans, canoes, manicure or pedicure preparations, dried shelled kidney beans, and chewing tobacco and snuff. Playing cards are on the list, too, but are hit only with an additional 10-percent duty like European aluminum coming to the US.
On Thursday, the US announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. The new 25-percent tariff on steel imports and 10-percent tariff on aluminum came into force at midnight (4:00am GMT) on Friday.
For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section
