France's Digital Tax Met with US High Tariffs
Wine and Cheese Excluded from Tariff Imposition
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The Donald Trump administration in the United States has announced the imposition of high tariffs on certain French products as retaliation against France's 'digital tax.'
According to Bloomberg News, on the 10th (local time), the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced plans to impose a 25% punitive tariff on $1.3 billion (approximately 1.5 trillion KRW) worth of French products.
French cosmetics, handbags, and soaps were targeted for the tariff imposition. Initially expected French wines and cheeses (Camembert and Roquefort) were excluded from the retaliation. This is interpreted as a measure to prevent price increases of daily necessities in the U.S. due to tariff hikes.
The USTR openly expressed dissatisfaction, stating that France's digital tax targeting America's 'IT giants' "unfairly targets U.S. digital technology companies."
However, the U.S. plans to delay the imposition of retaliatory tariffs on French products until January 6 of next year, 180 days later, and seek a compromise during the remaining period.
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