BUSINESS/FRANCE/TARIFFS/TAXES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A brief truce in what had been an escalating battle between the United States and France over taxing digital services has expired, but President Trump gave no indication this week whether he planned to return to his threats to impose new tariffs on imported wine and other French products as a result. French leaders voted this year to impose a new tax on economic activity that takes place online and crafted it in such a way that it would largely hit large American tech companies like Amazon and Facebook. In response, the Trump administration opened an investigation into whether the tax posed a threat to national security and should be met with American tariffs on French products. Mr. Trump vocalized the threat of tariffs in July. Soon after, the countries reached a 90-day agreement that paused the American retaliation, while leaders from wealthy countries including France and the United States pursued negotiations toward an international agreement on digital taxation.”
–Jim Tankersley and Alan Rappeport, “Trump’s Tax Truce With France Expires, but the Path Ahead Remains Unclear,” The New York Times online, November 26, 2019