Trump’s Tariffs

[Dixie McCall]

I don’t know much about tariffs in terms of how it will affect small companies like Xenforo and other companies that provide software downloads internationally .

I am wondering if Trump puts tariffs on the UK, will companies like Xenforo be affected? Will companies then have to raise their prices to sell to US citizens to make up the difference? Do small companies have enough US generated volume to keep offering their services in the US if tariffs are high - would it still be profitable/worth it?

Are tariffs generally for durable goods only?

It will be interesting to see how the digital downloads sector will be if tariffs come.

 

[tajhay]

Yes, its for physical products crossing international borders. Digital Goods may be subject to GST/VAT/HST etc (not sure on what is used in USA but they surely love to overcomplicate their taxation system and then the stupidity of the tipping system ontop of it).

I assume you guys educated yourselves on candidate policies prior to the election or does that not actually occur in USA?

 

[Dixie McCall]

I don’t want this thread to get political.

And sir/madam, most people in the US do know what general tariffs are so no need for the typical arrogant European quasi intellectual superiority diatribe. You aren’t any better or smarter than the US in any way so just stop.

I was just simply asking if tariffs will also include downloadable products of small companies which I don’t believe are considered durable goods in general.

 

[tajhay]

I don’t want this thread to get political.

And sir/madam, most people in the US do know what general tariffs are so no need for the typical arrogant European quasi intellectual superiority diatribe. You aren’t any better or smarter than the US in any way so just stop.

I was just simply asking if tariffs will also include downloadable products of small companies which I don’t believe are considered durable goods in general.

Oh sorry, you should have googled that info if thats all you were looking for. Even ChatGPT should have been able to assist. I just thought you guys were aware of basic election policies considering you just voted.

 

[Mr Lucky]

Will companies then have to raise their prices to sell to US citizens to make up the difference?

No because tariffs are paid by the importer. It’s basically a way to reduce imports and at the same time levy taxes on citizens because the cost will usually be passed on to the consumer.

I assume you guys educated yourselves on candidate policies prior to the election or does that not actually occur in USA?

Possibly many people know the policies, just not what they actually mean or what the consequences may be. Similar happened with Brexit.

 

[Dragapult]

I assume you guys educated yourselves on candidate policies prior to the election or does that not actually occur in USA?

People vote for the candidate that has either the (D) or (R) after their name. Usually on the mistaken belief that they will magically make gas prices (and only gas prices) cheaper.

 

[Dragapult]

Similar happened with Brexit.

Pretty much. Many people in America have been convinced that all the problems of the world are due to those scary looking people in their neighborhoods, so they must be eliminated and that will fix all the problems. People are easy to scare and generally incapable of understanding long-term thinking and consequence.

 

[Dragapult]

I don’t want this thread to get political.

You don't want a thread that is inherently about politics to be political? What were you expecting when you made this thread?

 

[Opus X]

You don't want a thread that is inherently about politics to be political? What were you expecting when you made this thread?

discussion of tariffs can be apolitical.
too many in the states do not know what they are.
they heard that other countries paid them and took that at face value.

 

[philmckrackon]

discussion of tariffs can be apolitical.
too many in the states do not know what they are.
they heard that other countries paid them and took that at face value.

Thanks for the generalization because you obviously have superior intellect.

 

[Opus X]

Thanks for the generalization because you obviously have superior intellect.

no it just seems i keep hearing from a certain group of friends that believed that.
they also believe a lot of other stuff that they were told.
this seems to be repeating across the country.
some of which they are learning was a pig in a poke they got sold.
if those tariffs do get put into place they will find out quick who pays them.
and we know it is not the people that a certain politician promised them it was.
and it is finally coming home to roost with many.

 

[Mr Lucky]

It seems a lot of people do not, or did not, understand what tariffs would mean.

From OP "Will companies then have to raise their prices to sell to US citizens to make up the difference?"

The companies selling to the US won't have to "raise their prices" to make up the difference, if the assumption is that these companies are the one paying the tariff.

As it's the US (ultimately the consumer) who pays the tariff, the only effect on the manufacturer will be fewer sales to the US as they would possibly be priced out of the market. The idea behind it is that this benefits the US manufacturers who can compete more easily as they won't have to pay the tariffs. In practice it's quite possible that US manufacturers will just raise their prices given that there is less competition.

Who benefits then? Probably the major shareholders in certain US stock. Plus any politicians who might receive a reward in return for the policy.

There could be some benefit to the environment when clothes get a lot more expensive and so people actually wear them longer rather than just binning them when they feel like a different color tee shirt.

Cheap imports can be a double edged sword, but it seems the cheaper something is the more it is treated as a disposable. Who remembers when things used to get repaired rather than going to landfill?

 

[frm]

You don't want a thread that is inherently about politics to be political? What were you expecting when you made this thread?

Tariffs are economic, not about politics.

They can be political policies, but they unto themselves are not about politics, unless used for a political advantage. This thread was asking a simple question: Would the tariffs have an impact on digital goods or not? You decided to interpret that as being political, when it's in no way close to being political, in the context of this main thread topic.

 

[Mr Lucky]

They can be political policies, but they unto themselves are not about politics, unless used for a political advantage. This thread was asking a simple question: Would the tariffs have an impact on digital goods or not?

The question wasn't just that, there were several questions. But what made it political was the thread title. You cannot bring Trump into it without politics, as he is not an economist. (Obviously). The thread is bound to be based around the perceived misleading information given to the public during a political campaign about what tariffs really are and what they will mean to the electorate.

 

[frm]

You cannot bring Trump into it without politics, as he is not an economist.

As if he doesn't have advisors.

It's up to the reader to determine that. However, the question remains to be a-political. The tariffs imposed just so happen to be done under Trump. With that in mind, the question was solely, at its heart, whether it affects digital goods or not.

The OP also clarified that he did not want it to get political.

I don’t want this thread to get political.

Which, it never should have, because you can read it as a simple question. I don't know how including someone's name in a title changes the context of the question to make it political whatsoever.

 

[Max Taxable]

the cost will usually be passed on to the consumer.

Providing said consumer is buying a tariff product. That's the rub.

 

[Wing]

@Dixie McCall why do you keep making controversial threads like this here?

 

[frm]

@Dixie McCall why do you keep making controversial threads like this here?

It's a fair question to ask as it might be something that'll be evaluated in the future as we are in a new era, different from that in which a document was signed allowing this, about 250 years ago. At this time, it wouldn't apply.

However, to put this into perspective, two US-based software companies make forum software: Internet Brands and Invision Community. We can argue day and night (and I would be in favor of XF) whether they are better than the two other (off the top of my head) paid alternatives of XenForo and Woltlab.

If they could set a tariff on digital goods, XF and Woltlab would be subject to tariffs, while vBulletin and Invision wouldn't, as they create jobs in the US.

That alone, depending on the amount, might make the XF price unjustifiably more expensive for some users in the US to make them decide to go with vB or Invision instead, the reason, that isn't political, but rather economical.

 

[zappaDPJ]

The World Trade Organization e-commerce moratorium prevents customs duties/ tariffs being placed on electronic transmissions and that includes software so until that ends (it's reviewed every two years) it's a case of move along, there's nothing to see.

 

[Suzanne O]

You get nothing but pain from a dictator. Remember the guy you voted in is a convicted felon.