Vikrant Shekhawat : Oct 11, 2024, 02:20 PM
Donald Trump News: Former US President and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump has recently once again criticized India's trade policies and especially tariffs. Just a day ago, he called India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi his friend, but now he has alleged that India is at the top among the countries imposing the highest taxes on foreign goods.Promise of "tit for tat" tax systemTrump emphasized his economic vision during a rally held in Detroit on Thursday. He said that if he comes to power again, he will implement a "tit for tat" tax system. Trump clearly stated that the main objective of his plan is to make America economically strong. He said, "This is the most important part of my plan, because we usually do not impose much tariff.""Modi is my friend, but India charges more tax"During the rally, Trump raised the issue of heavy tariffs imposed by India on American products. He said, "India is the country charging the highest tax." However, Trump also added that he has a good relationship with Prime Minister Modi and described him as a great leader and person. But despite this, Trump criticized India's trade policies, saying, "India imposes very high tariffs on our products."India's policies compared to China and BrazilTrump compared trade relations with China and Brazil and said that India charges more tariffs than China. He claimed that China charges up to 200 percent tariff from the US, while Brazil also charges heavy duty, but the country that charges the highest tariff among them is India.Harley Davidson exampleTrump referred to an incident in which during his tenure, a Harley Davidson official met him and described India as the most difficult country to do business. The official said that India used to charge up to 150 percent duty on Harley Davidson, which made doing business there very challenging. Trump said that India wants companies to go there and produce, and the companies that set up plants in India have to pay less tax.Trump's disagreementAlthough Harley Davidson set up its plant in India and started production there, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with this model. He said, "I did not like the fact that India imposes such heavy taxes on foreign companies and forces them to go there and produce."ConclusionDonald Trump's criticisms are part of his upcoming election strategy, where he is talking about a "tit for tat" tax system to promote American business interests. Although he has mentioned good relations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is clear from his statement that he is unhappy with India's current trade policies. Trump's stance reflects his nationalist approach to trade matters and his commitment to make America economically stronger.It will be interesting to see in the coming days what impact Trump's statement has on India-US bilateral trade relations, especially if he wins the 2024 presidential election.