Germany: the EU is prepared to act if negotiations on US tariffs fail – Lars Klingbeil

He German Finance Minister Lars KlingbeilParliament said Thursday: “We must respond to US tariffs. With unity and determination.

“We hope that negotiations … lead to a good result, but I would also like to make it very clear that we are prepared to act if this is not successful,” he said.

Market reaction

At the time of writing, the EUR/USD quotes 0.32% higher in the day about 1,1210.

FAQS tariffs

Although tariffs and taxes generate government income to finance public goods and services, they have several distinctions. Tariffs are paid in advance in the entrance port, while taxes are paid at the time of purchase. Taxes are imposed on individual taxpayers and companies, while tariffs are paid by importers.

There are two schools of thought among economists regarding the use of tariffs. While some argue that tariffs are necessary to protect national industries and address commercial imbalances, others see them as a harmful tool that could potentially increase long -term prices and bring to a harmful commercial war by promoting reciprocal tariffs.

During the election campaign for the presidential elections of November 2024, Donald Trump made it clear that he intends to use tariffs to support the US economy. In 2024, Mexico, China and Canada represented 42% of the total US imports in this period, Mexico stood out as the main exporter with 466.6 billion dollars, according to the US Census Office, therefore, Trump wants to focus on these three nations by imposing tariffs. It also plans to use the income generated through tariffs to reduce personal income taxes.

Source: Fx Street

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