• fishy
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    12 hours ago

    I work in the corporate side of retail for a large company. I promise you not a single vendor is absorbing the tariffs, but a few are getting around it by just moving production for the US market to other factories they already own in Southeast Asia.

    These companies were already afraid of the Chinese government absorbing them and moved “headquarters” to Singapore. This isn’t hurting them, it’s hurting us.

    • Xanza@lemm.ee
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      11 hours ago

      I promise you not a single vendor is absorbing the tariffs

      I’ve tried to explain this to every person I’ve come across, and they simply don’t understand that corporations with record breaking profits aren’t simply gonna absorb the cost of the tariffs and are going to try to squeeze blood from a stone–aka try to get it out of you. The worst that’s gonna happen is they post a few down quarters and end up absorbing a small percentage of the overall tariff until the buy pressure comes back.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      I promise you not a single vendor is absorbing the tariffs, but a few are getting around it by just moving production for the US market to other factories they already own in Southeast Asia.

      Often not even moving the production to other factories. The tracking on this stuff is comically underfunded and underserved. You can absolutely make a widget in a tariff country, like China, stamp it “Made in The Philippines” or Indonesia or wherever, and move it into the US without paying the tax.

      These companies were already afraid of the Chinese government absorbing them and moved “headquarters” to Singapore.

      Given the degree to which Singapore is beholden to Chinese owned and operated businesses and falls within the operating range of the Chinese military, this is more a Hong Kong style bureaucratic loophole than a real escape from China as a sphere of influence. Its like banking out of Bermuda while you work in the United States. A legal fiction that gets you out of a certain degree of taxation/regulation, but does nothing to shield you from the Coast Guard or the FBI.

    • MuskyMelon@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      Doesn’t stop them passing the “tariff charges” on regardless if they actually have to pay or not

      Don’t be surprised if these companies suddenly show 10-25% increase in net profits.

    • Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de
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      10 hours ago

      Never understood how people look at a billionaire and say, “yeah, he’s one of us.” Bitches, he is stealing from you.

      • ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        You can root for asteroids or a really annoyed goose. No matter how thin you make the pancake there’s always two sides and an angry goose that might eat it.

      • Cruxifux@feddit.nl
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        11 hours ago

        Nah, if two child molesters are in a fight with eachother I hope they both lose.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      Its curious how many politicians out of Nebraska are die-hard Trump supporters, despite accepting enormous sums from Berkshire Hathaway staff and investors.

      Buffet and Munger both play this game. Go on TV and say the thing people like to hear. Then go back into the back rooms and

    • qjkxbmwvz@startrek.website
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      10 hours ago

      No, but I think it’s good when someone with credibility among certain people reiterate something, even if it adds nothing of value to you and me.

      Democratic and left-of-center politicians (or “liberal elite economists”) can say this until they’re blue in the face but Trumpers will dismiss it as I dunno, woke butthurtism or something. But when someone like Buffet says it, at least they (maybe) have to think a little bit before coming up with some mental gymnastics to dismiss him. And maybe along the way they’ll question, if only a little bit, the sanity of Trump’s policies.