Apple starts iPhone 6s mass production in India to combat import duty hikes

So how about import duties on Apple products imported into the United States? Would that encourage Apple to manufacture in the USA also? Harley Davidson announced it will move manufacturing overseas to avoid foreign tariffs. Why is it always a one way street for us in the U.S.? Foreign countries can level all sorts of taxes and tariffs to encourage manufacturing in within their borders. But let the U.S. try the same thing and all hell breaks loose. When we do it it’s a trade war. Canada, for example, levies a 250% tariff on milk imported from the U.S. for the express purpose of protecting its dairy farmers from vastly more efficient and productive American dairy farmers.

Again, why is it a one-way street?

Apple is a multinational corporation. They make money anywhere in the world that it is available. Nobody should be surprised by this.

It’s not a one way street. The US has always had tariffs on imports, Trump is just raising them. The US also heavily subsidizes all sorts of American made products, starting with milk. Apple and HD are doing what every company is supposed to do, maximize the bottom line for its shareholders. 

lkrupp said:

So how about import duties on Apple products imported into the United States? Would that encourage Apple to manufacture in the USA also? Harley Davidson announced it will move manufacturing overseas to avoid foreign tariffs. Why is it always a one way street for us in the U.S.? Foreign countries can level all sorts of taxes and tariffs to encourage manufacturing in within their borders. But let the U.S. try the same thing and all hell breaks loose. When we do it it’s a trade war. Canada, for example, levies a 250% tariff on milk imported from the U.S. for the express purpose of protecting its dairy farmers from vastly more efficient and productive American dairy farmers.

Again, why is it a one-way street?

It's not a one way street. For example, the Canadian tariff on milk is 0.8%, and the 250% tariff only kicks in after the U.S. imports go beyond the agreed upon (by both sides) quota. Beyond the quota (how much milk do 30 million people need?) is considered dumping, and is designed to kill the Canadian dairy industry, just as the Chinese have been dumping below cost solar panels in the U.S. to kill the American solar industry. We should and do protect our local industries with tariffs too. It's not a one way street. We are not suckers, and we are not being taken advantage of, despite what some politicians would like you to believe in order to get you riled up.

However, your idea that the phones for a region should be made there (including the U.S.) is an interesting way to solve this problem and create local jobs. But Tim Cook would never go along with that because phones made in the U.S. for U.S. purchases would cost double or triple what they do now because of our higher standard of living.

rob53 said:

It’s not a one way street. The US has always had tariffs on imports, Trump is just raising them. The US also heavily subsidizes all sorts of American made products, starting with milk. Apple and HD are doing what every company is supposed to do, maximize the bottom line for its shareholders. 

I prefer to phrase it as ‘operate efficiently,’ which coincidentally may maximize the bottom line for its shareholders.  It always floors me that there are people who would have American companies deliberately operate inefficiently for the sake of patriotism.  Operating inefficiently invites competition, both from other American companies and from foreign companies, which might be afforded the runway they need, in their own countries and protected by tariffs, to grow into formidable competition before ever attempting to sell any of their products into America.  Do folks not realize that by Harley staying home and paying those tariffs when importing their bikes into other countries, they would be leaving the field wide open to startup competitors in those other countries.  Better to go manufacture there to be able to compete on a level playing field.  It makes sense for Harley to go build manufacturing overseas to supply products for sale overseas.  To keep an American company strong.  Shouldn’t that be what Americans should actually want?  Healthy American businesses?