India 'very high-tariff nation'; they charge us a lot: Trump
India is a very high-tariff nation, US President Donald Trump alleged yesterday, stating that he wants a reciprocal tax or at least some kind of tax. "India is a very high-tariff nation. They charge us a lot," Trump said in his more than two-hour-long address to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in the Maryland suburb of Washington DC. Here are more details.
Trump again referred to his iconic example of Harley-Davidson motorcycles
In his speech that lasted for more than two hours, Trump touched a wide range of issues including domestic, global, and bilateral relationships with countries like India. Referring to his often-cited example of the iconic Harley-Davidson motorcycles, he said, "When we send a motorcycle to India, it's a 100% tariff. But when India sends a motorcycle to us, we brilliantly charge them nothing."
Trump then asserted he wants a reciprocal tax for India
Trump asserted that he wants a reciprocal tax for India. "I want to charge a tax. It's called the mirror tax, but it's reciprocal," Trump said. Earlier this year, at a White House event to announce his support for the reciprocal tax, Trump had said he was satisfied with the Indian decision to reduce the import tariff on Harley-Davidson motorcycles from 100% to 50%.
Got 100% tax in India reduced to 50%: Trump
"Look at motorcycles as an example. In India, it was 100%. I got them down to 50%, just by talking for about two minutes. It's still 50% vs 2.4% (on imported motorcycles to the US)," the president had told reporters at the White House earlier on January 24. "Again, other than that, it's a very fair deal," he had said.
It's time for the US to impose reciprocal tax: Trump
On Saturday, Trump used the Indian example of how other countries were imposing high taxes on American products and now it was time for the US to impose a reciprocal tax. To prove his point, Trump said, he was using India as an example.
Trump talked about resistance by Senators over reciprocal law
To prove his point, Trump had said, "But India is a very high-tariff nation. And they charge tremendously. They charge 100%. So I say, I'm not going to charge you 100%, but I'm going to charge 25%, and I hear this turmoil in the Senate because we are charging 25%." He told his supporters that there was resistance to his move from the Senate.
Doing 25% only because of you: Trump to his supporters
Trump told his supporters, "They are charging us 100%. For the exact same product, I want to charge them 25%. I feel so foolish charging 25% because it should be a hundred. But I'm doing 25% only because of you. I want your support." Thereafter, Trump mimicked the response from the lawmakers who were opposing his proposal of reciprocal tax.
That's not free trade, says Trump
"Sir, that's not free trade. Where did these people come from? I need your help, I need your help, the voters' help. Where do they come from?" Trump urged his supporters while mimicking the lawmakers. He said that the US could not allow a country to charge it 100% while it got nothing for the exact same product.
America is booming like never before, said the US President
Taking a jibe at the Senators, Trump said, "For one thing, they don't respect us. But let me tell you something, the world respects our country again." He said, "America is now booming like never before. Other countries are doing very poorly."
