Trump says will slap reciprocal tax on India if voted to power

Reiterating that India imposes excessive tariffs on American corporations that manufacture bikes and vehicles, former US President Donald Trump has stated he will slap reciprocal tax if voted to power in 2024.

Referring to the import tariff on the Harley Davidson bikes, Trump has been wanting India to cut back the export responsibility to zero since 2019 when he was the president.

In an interview on Fox Business News, Trump stated: “What would occur if America imposes an identical tax on Indian merchandise coming into the US? The different factor I need to have is an identical tax the place, if India costs us — India could be very massive with tariffs. I imply, I noticed it with Harley-Davidson.

“I used to be saying, how do you do in a spot like India? Oh, no good sir. Why? They have 100 per cent and 150 per cent and 200 per cent tariffs.”

“So, I stated, to allow them to promote their Indian motorcycle. They make a motorcycle, an Indian motorcycle. They can promote that into our nation with no tax, no tariff, however if you make a Harley, if you ship it over there — as a result of they had been doing no enterprise. I stated:

“How come you do not do enterprise with India? The tariff is so excessive that no one desires it. But what they need us to do is, they need us to go over and construct a plant, after which you don’t have any tariff.”

The former President went on to say that “if India is charging us too, so what I need to have is a… name it retribution”. “You might name it no matter you need. If they’re charging us, we cost them,” he stated in response to a query.

In an earlier interview to CBS News in 2019, Trump, who’s presently going through a sequence of court docket instances and indictments, had stated that the US might not be fooled below his management.

“We’re not the silly nation that does so badly. You take a look at India, an excellent good friend of mine, Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, you check out what they’ve accomplished, 100 per cent tax on a motorbike. We cost them nothing.”

Unfair and unacceptable: Trump

India had slashed the customs responsibility on the Wisconsin-based bike maker to 50 per cent in 2018 after Trump referred to as it “unfair” and threatened to enhance the tariff on import of Indian bikes to the US.

Calling it nonetheless unacceptable, the previous President had rued that America is a financial institution that everyone desires to “rob”.

The Harley Davidson model entered the Indian market in 2007 after the US agreed to raise the ban on India’s mango exports to the US.

(With inputs from IANS)