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In the United States, Donald Trump has a new target: French wine. After the French government set up a tax on the US high-tech giants (Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon) on July 11, the US president launched threats on Friday, in very weak terms. diplomatic.
With our correspondent in Houston, Thomas Harms
In a tweet, Donald Trump denounced first " the stupidity " of Emmanuel Macron who decided to impose a digital tax to large US technology companies.
And the threat of retaliation follows: " I have always said that American wine is better than French wine ." While Donald Trump does not drink alcohol, his expertise can be questioned.
France just put a digital tax on our great American technology companies. If anybody taxes them, it should be their home Country, the USA. We will announce a substantial reciprocal action on Macron's foolishness shortly. I've always said American wine is better than French wine!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2019However, he is close to the wine industry in his country. Donald Trump continues to praise the vineyard owned by his son Eric in Virginia. And last month, California wine producers complained to him about the taxes France is imposing on them. Higher taxes than those imposed on French bottles in the United States.
The American president then replied that "in the face of this injustice, he was going to do something ". But these reprisals, which are still being studied for the time being, are not only symbolic for the wine growers of France. Of the 9 billion euros of French wine exported last year, a third was in the United States.
► See also: Is Donald Trump right to want to overtax French wine?
Negotiations are underway within the OECD on this issue of taxes on new technologies. In addition to France, other European countries are studying the possibility of taxing the digital giants, such as Italy, Spain, Austria or the United Kingdom.