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EU wants to react with new penalty tariffs on Xbox and other goods

chroeser

chroeser

Member
Oct 27, 2017
296
Germany
News article of the german WELT. Sadly this is the world we are living in now.

https://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/arti...aeche-wegen-Airbus-und-Boeing-gefaehrdet.html

On the US list are European cheeses and aircraft parts, wine and machinery - obviously to attack important EU countries like France, Italy and Germany. The EU also knows how to act tactically in retaliation: When the US imposed steel and aluminum tariffs, Brussels imposed punitive duties on motorcycles like Harley-Davidson, whisky and various foods to hit republican constituencies and the Trump voters among farmers. Now she's targeting video game consoles like Microsoft's Xbox and fitness equipment, helicopters and handbags, casino tables and tobacco, vodka and frozen lobsters.
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If you are interested in the full article, just copy it and translate it with DEEPL (google is your friend).
 
Kemono

Kemono

▲ Legend ▲
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,669
Good job Trump.

As if the Xbox isn't already way behind in europe.
 
Doukou

Doukou

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,531
I'm a bit unsure of the connection between Xbox and Republican constituencies? Like I get Whisky and Harley-Davidson but Microsoft is centered at more Liberal states. Either way as long as it brings this crap closer to an end.
 
OP
OP
chroeser

chroeser

Member
Oct 27, 2017
296
Germany
I believe the EU-Commission just searched for "typical" us-american products from big corporations with plenty of influence.
 
Lidl

Lidl

Member
Dec 12, 2017
2,568
Doukou said:
I'm a bit unsure of the connection between Xbox and Republican constituencies? Like I get Whisky and Harley-Davidson but Microsoft is centered at more Liberal states. Either way as long as it brings this crap closer to an end.
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Xbox is conservative right. PC is far right. PlayStation is social democrat left. Nintendo is far left. Stadia is libertarian.
 
ReachForTheSky

ReachForTheSky

Member
Feb 13, 2018
135
Isn't the UK (and maybe Germany and France) like the only place in europe where the current XBOX has a relevant market share? And thanks to Brexit they aren't in the EU anymore, sooo... not gonna hurt the XBOX too much I would say, at least not this generation. Could be really bad for the next XBOX though, because that will probably effect prices.
 
Kolya

Kolya

Member
Jan 26, 2018
786
ReachForTheSky said:
Isn't the UK (and maybe Germany and France) like the only place in europe where the current XBOX has a relevant market share? And thanks to Brexit they aren't in the EU anymore, sooo... not gonna hurt the XBOX too much I would say, at least not this generation. Could be really bad for the next XBOX though, because that will probably effect prices.
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We haven't left the EU yet.
 
monketron

monketron

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,859
ReachForTheSky said:
Isn't the UK (and maybe Germany and France) like the only place in europe where the current XBOX has a relevant market share? And thanks to Brexit they aren't in the EU anymore, sooo... not gonna hurt the XBOX too much I would say, at least not this generation. Could be really bad for the next XBOX though, because that will probably effect prices.
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We're still in the EU - for a while yet - and there's still a chance we'll never leave, or if we do, with a deal that keeps us in the customs union/single market (and therefore under the rules of any trade war that goes on between the US and EU in future).
 
ReachForTheSky

ReachForTheSky

Member
Feb 13, 2018
135
monketron said:
We're still in the EU - for a while yet - and there's still a chance we'll never leave, or if we do, with a deal that keeps us in the customs union/single market (and therefore under the rules of any trade war that goes on between the US and EU in future).
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Oh ok, I haven't been following the news at all for a few weeks now. Last I heard was Brexit was supposed to happen in march or something like that. Thanks for the update.
 
monketron

monketron

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,859
ReachForTheSky said:
Oh ok, I haven't been following the news at all for a few weeks now. Last I heard was Brexit was supposed to happen in march or something like that. Thanks for the update.
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It got pushed back from March to April, now it's postponed till Oct 31st (although with the potential to happen in June, but unlikely). Who the hell knows what's gonna happen then.
 

Imitatio

Member
Feb 19, 2018
14,560
ReachForTheSky said:
Isn't the UK (and maybe Germany and France) like the only place in europe where the current XBOX has a relevant market share? And thanks to Brexit they aren't in the EU anymore, sooo... not gonna hurt the XBOX too much I would say, at least not this generation. Could be really bad for the next XBOX though, because that will probably effect prices.
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I'd argue calling the Xbox's presence in Germany or France "relevant" is quite the stretch already... France especially is veeery Japan centric with consoles.
 
BeeDog

BeeDog

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,556
Best way to erode Trump's laughable administration? Piss alt-right gamers off by taxing the shit out of Xbox, and turn them against the alt-right US government. Brilliant!
 
OP
OP
chroeser

chroeser

Member
Oct 27, 2017
296
Germany
RestEerie said:
That will be Apple iphones as Xbox's influence in the EU (no, UK is not in EU any longer) is minimal to say the least.
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Your are right, but do you believe our politicans thought that far?

Half a hour ago I asked my students (I teach custom law in a german customs-school) what they think. One commented that it's allright because it' not the Playstation, the other was panicked because of PC-parts ...
 
mrtl

mrtl

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
827
EU bans incandescent light bulbs. Xbox uses more energy than them. Therefor, the EU will ban Xbox.
 
gofreak

gofreak

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,736
Are Xboxes not brought in directly from China?

Or is the issue is that the company is US owned?

(Or maybe the reporter just looked for a list of additional US products and ran with that? Did this list come from an EU document?)
 
TheSyldat

TheSyldat

Banned
Nov 4, 2018
1,127
ReachForTheSky said:
Isn't the UK (and maybe Germany and France) like the only place in europe where the current XBOX has a relevant market share? And thanks to Brexit they aren't in the EU anymore, sooo... not gonna hurt the XBOX too much I would say, at least not this generation. Could be really bad for the next XBOX though, because that will probably effect prices.
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Germany is mostly PC gaming centric and most of the few consoles being sold are for the most part PS4 or Nintendo
And in France it's even worse PS4 beats XBOX by a 4 to 1 margin this generation ....
Sooo yeah no even in France it won't make much of a difference they are already on the losing end of the battle anyway .

Besides that decision must be fairly new and hasn't been implemented just yet because seriously on the consumer side of things XBOX didn't get any more expensive , hell if anything they keep slashing prices to try and get us to select them rather than Sony and it still doesn't work .

In fact marketing wise it's about time that the WHOLE Xbox marketing learns to distance itself from their image of being the "fratboy" console because right now that's the image it has and that is really glued to the whole brand ...
 
RestEerie

RestEerie

Banned
Aug 20, 2018
13,618
chroeser said:
Half a hour ago I asked my students (I teach custom law in a german customs-school) what they think. One commented that it's allright because it' not the Playstation, the other was panicked because of PC-parts ...
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me imagine the scene you asking your student:

giphy.gif
 
Atolm

Atolm

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,829
Doukou said:
I'm a bit unsure of the connection between Xbox and Republican constituencies? Like I get Whisky and Harley-Davidson but Microsoft is centered at more Liberal states. Either way as long as it brings this crap closer to an end.
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It's an American product. If you tax our goods we'll tax yours as well.

It's a lose-lose for everyone, but we all have stupid politicians.
 
Umbrella Carp

Umbrella Carp

Banned
Jan 16, 2019
3,265
I doubt it's a coincidence that they choose to single out Xbox. They know not many people internally would give a shit.
 
John Konstantin

John Konstantin

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,250
Spain
If you are going to screw your citizens with these tariffs, you might at least help your own industry by taxing products competing with your own. There are no European consoles, so I find the whole thing pretty pointless. Specially when Xbox is already selling so bad in Europe.
 

Zappy

Banned
Nov 2, 2017
3,738
Lidl said:
Xbox is conservative right. PC is far right. PlayStation is social democrat left. Nintendo is far left. Stadia is libertarian.
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This is all shades of wrong. Completely and utterly. Microsoft and their employment policies are way ahead of the others (and IF businesses can be political a way further left than the others in this field). Japan is a very right wing country with a right wing business culture.
 
hydrophilic attack

hydrophilic attack

Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,466
Sweden
the EU is being smart with what products they're targeting. they're choosing targets that will hurt the interests of american companies, but that not too many europeans would be sad to forgo
 

Coulomb_Barrier

Banned
Apr 9, 2018
368
Zappy said:
Japan is a very right wing country with a right wing business culture.
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What more so than Trump's administration? I don't think so.

I also associate 'right wing' with belligerency when it comes to foreign policy, so kindly remind me how many military campaigns Japan are involved in right now compared to the US.
 
Isee

Isee

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,235
Xbox seems to be turning into a service. Selling hardware might become less important for Microsoft with next gen and the tax might be more of a nuisance than a real threat to them. Especially as Xbox sell numbers aren't huge in the EU and most people will have access to their streaming service via PCs and older consoles.
 

Deleted member 23046

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
6,876
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Klaphat

Klaphat

Banned
Dec 18, 2017
751
You guys are disgusting calling Xbox and Xbox fans for alt righters and trying to associate Xbox with the alt right. It's so easy to tell what you are trying to do and mods should seriously warn or ban you for that.

It has fuck all to do with the alt right. The EU puts tariffs on American goods and the Xbox is an American console. It's as simple as that. It's a signal they are trying to send to Trump, it would make no sense to put tariffs on Nintendo and Sony when they are Japanese companies.
 

Deleted member 49804

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 21, 2018
1,868
Coulomb_Barrier said:
What more so than Trump's administration? I don't think so.

I also associate 'right wing' with belligerency when it comes to foreign policy, so kindly remind me how many military campaigns Japan are involved in right now compared to the US.
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Well Trump is more anti war than the last 2 presidents before him. Does that make him less right wing than Obama?

It's not that black and white. Also Japan is very conservative and right wing. No need to wage war to be right wing. A lot of left wing countries wage war, you know?


On topic:
This trade war goes back to TTIP. The US wants to sell agriculture products to the EU and get a deal done. The EU obviously only wants to talk about industrial products, because that is basically all their exports.
Will be interesting to see who has the stronger hand at the end.
 

Zappy

Banned
Nov 2, 2017
3,738
Ruslnis said:
You sure about that?

https://www.resetera.com/threads/ms...date-ms-responds.109622/page-11#post-19715201
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That has absolutely nothing to do with "politics". Toxic work environments for women are not a right vs left thing.

And fundamentally what companies do in response to these things is more telling. But more crticially employment rights - very much a right vs left things - and MS have some of the best in the business, as has been widely discussed on here.
 
Ac30

Ac30

Member
Oct 30, 2017
14,527
London
Coulomb_Barrier said:
What more so than Trump's administration? I don't think so.

I also associate 'right wing' with belligerency when it comes to foreign policy, so kindly remind me how many military campaigns Japan are involved in right now compared to the US.
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Abe has been trying to reform the pacifist constitution to allow for aggressive deployment of the military, and the government has a history of historical revisionism (plenty of textbook fun) - They're still honouring war criminals at the Yasukuni shrine.

His wife was the "honorary headmistress" of a hyper-nationalist kindergarten.

There's more to right wing than military adventurism.
 
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