TMTPOST -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened he could impose ”substantial” new tariffs on countries implementing digital taxes or relevant law.
Credit：European Commission
Trump in a post on his social media Truth Social vowed to fight back against countries attacking “incredible” American tech companies with new tariffs and export restrictions on chips. The digital taxes, digital services legislation and digital market regulations introduced by these countries “are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology,” He claimed in the post.
“With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed, I, as President of the United States, will impose substantial additional Tariffs on that Country's Exports to the U.S.A., and institute Export restrictions on our Highly Protected Technology and Chips,” Trump wrote.
Trump didn’t specify the countries that would face his punishment if they are not removing such digital taxes or regulations. His threat came after a report suggested the White House may impose sanctions on European officials over a landmark act in technology industry.
The Trump administration is imposing sanctions on European Union or member state officials responsible for implementing the bloc’s Digital Services Act over U.S. complaints that the law censors Americans and imposes costs on American tech companies, Reuters earlier Monday reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
It was unclear which EU or EU member state officials the action would target but U.S. officials held internal meetings on the possible sanctions last week. Senior State Department officials have yet to make a final decision on whether to go ahead with the punitive measures that would likely come in the form of visa restrictions, according to the report.
A State Department spokesperson did not confirm nor deny the reported potential punitive action. The EU currency extended its decline following the report. The euro dropped as much a s nearly 1% against U.S. dollar, pulling back from a four-week high last Friday when U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell opened door to rate-cutting as soon as next month.
The reported sanctions, if materialized, are deemed as an unprecedented action that would escalate the Trump administration's hit back at what it sees as Europe's attempt to suppress conservative voices..
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in late May announced a visa restriction policy that applies to foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States.
“It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil,” Rubio said in a statement. “It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States.”
Trump in late June abruptly announced cutting off all the trade talks between U.S. and Canada over upcoming “egregious” digital services tax imposed by Ottawa. Trump in a post on June 27 slammed the digital services tax that Canada is going to levy on U.S. tech firms, calling it a “direct and blatant attack on our country.” Hesaid Canada has charged U.S. farmers as much as 400% tariffs for years and its latest move to impose digital services tax is “obviously copying the European Union.”
Ottawa days later decided to drop the tax. Canada would rescind the Digital Services Tax (DST) to support the negotiations on a new economic and security partnership with the United States, Canada’s Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne said on June 30.
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