The answer: countries will cave in to these threats. For now, at least.

We are clearly in the appeasement phase, I think that has been apparent for a while now

Alternative theory, the people pulling the strings are already in control, and Trump is the useful idiot who can be the bully/lightning rod for international ire.

You cannot believe how sick it is to open Lemmy and the first thing you see is a picture of Zuckerberg.

I hope Carney reintroduces it after these trade talks fail.

I agree with the Nobel Laureate in economics, Joseph E Stiglitz, who wrote this.

Of course, when the most profitable companies in the world don’t pay their fair share of taxes, it just shifts the burden on to others.

Apple was so successful in avoiding taxes in Europe that it is estimated that it paid in some years a tax of just 0.005% on its European profits.

These companies have also devastated local news media markets, peddle propaganda and disinformation in our societies which they claim is not their job to moderate, through their investments in AI are poised to become some of the biggest polluters, and many of them profit a lot from the ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine which is being used as a warfare and AI training lab

It isn’t appeasement. It’s negotiating with terrorists.

The last thing you do when a toddler throws a tantrum is give in to their demands. You reinforce their behaviour and teach them it works. Every child phsychologist can tell you that.

So why the fuck are world leaders, with the resources of an entire country, enabling this whiny man-child?!

Rolling over and showing your belly never ever helps.

That’s what I was hopingmthe plan was. We’ll have to wait and see.

The media can keep bashing the Canadian government scrapping the tax. The last minute “capitulation” as many in the media is framing it as, while true, is also disingenuous on how Canada has to deal with the US given the cards it has in hand. Canada right now still relies heavily on exporting things to the US and keeping the US at the table talking is the best it can do right now until it can secure other trade deals around the world. Proximity matters and even more so when they are still is a superpower.

Canada still has many options despite this digital tax. What about banning US big tech? What about changing the rules about tech companies entering Canadian job space (and it doesn’t have to be a tax)? Other countries have managed (eg. China, Denmark), so why can’t Canada? The government can fight on one front, but Canadians themselves also have to. The boycott of travel to the US and of US goods clearly has made impact, but Canadians can do more. Support open source software like Linux, move away from Adobe and so forth. There are alternatives and some even Canadian ones. If we are to truly give the Canadian government good tools to fight, we too must do our jobs individually.

Carney isn’t going to do any favors. He’s leaning toward austerity measures to pay for the 5% budget pledge for NATO that he was strong armed into accepting and now has acquiesced to the demands of the Broligarchy.

He’s not a leader, he’s a banker

Don’t forget, he’s not just a banker, he was also the vice chair and chair of Brookfield, one of the world’s largest residential real estate landlord, the largest residential landlord in San Francisco, accused of repeatedly violating indigenous rights in multiple countries.

But hey, I’m absolutely convinced he can fix the housing crisis in Canada!

He can… As in he knows very well how to, since he was one of the main culprit for years. I will eat my hat if he does though. But hey when I pointed that out during the election I was a Tankie and Trump supporter or something.

What did we get, cause it sure does seem like nothing.

I think the point is that by capitulating on this, Canada has gained time. Time to make deals with other countries as trade partners, time to source necessities (that they have gotten from the U.S. for literally decades) from other countries, and time to build up their own military might in case Trump makes good on his idiotic “51st state” bullshit.

We’re in the middle of discussions right now. We don’t find out what we gained or lost for a few more weeks.

Because they are also whiny man babies. Just a bit quieter about it.

Apple was so successful in avoiding taxes in Europe that it is estimated that it paid in some years a tax of just 0.005% on its European profits.

And that is why stealing from a corporation is not a crime. They have deprived you, personally, of benefits and services that your government can not afford because of tax dodging. They are killing you, personally, by privatizing your health care, by opposing electrification, by using single use plastics for nearly all packaging. They are keeping you, personally, poor by suppressing wages, raising prices, and outsourcing labour to markets where slavery is not only tolerated but the norm.

You can not injure a corporation, you can not hurt it’s feelings. Pirate, lie, steal, cheat, get every penny you can from the 1% and use it to help the other 99.

The collective delusion of social power is being tested. I don’t see the current configuration passing.

Incredibly well said about corporate harms, thank you!