US President Donald Trump escalated his global trade war on Friday, threatening to impose a sweeping 100% tariff on all goods from any country that levies a digital services tax on American technology companies a move that could unravel a landmark transatlantic trade agreement reached just last year.
The warning, delivered via social media, came a day after European Union member states rushed to meet Trump’s July 4 deadline to cut tariffs on US goods only to find themselves facing a fresh ultimatum from Washington.
The 100% Penalty
Trump warned that nations considering digital services taxes on US firms were “close to actually doing this,” and made clear the consequences would be immediate and severe.
Any country that proceeds with such a levy, Trump said, would face a 100% tariff on all goods exported to the United States a penalty he said would override any existing or future trade agreements with Washington, “whether implemented, signed or not.”
That would include the US-EU deal struck last year, which caps American tariffs on European goods at 15% in exchange for the EU eliminating tariffs on US industrial imports entirely.
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What is a Digital Services Tax?
A digital services tax is a levy imposed by governments on the revenues that large technology companies earn within their borders covering services such as online advertising, digital marketplaces and social media platforms.
Unlike traditional corporate taxes, which are based on profits, digital services taxes are calculated on gross revenue generated in a specific country meaning companies pay the levy even if they report little or no local profit.
France at the Centre of the Storm
The threat is aimed squarely at France, which has taxed digital services at 3% since 2019, applying the levy to companies earning more than €25 million in France and €750 million globally. French lawmakers proposed doubling that rate to 6% last year.
French President Emmanuel Macron showed no signs of backing down. Speaking before a G7 summit last week, Macron said Paris would not bow to US pressure and scrap its digital tax on American tech giants.
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Trump had already warned before departing for the summit that the US would have no choice but to impose 100% tariffs on French wine if Paris refused to drop the levy.
A Deal Already Under Strain
The fresh threat comes at a fragile moment for transatlantic trade relations. EU lawmakers scrambled in recent weeks to meet Trump’s July 4 deadline to implement their side of last year’s trade deal, after a slow legislative process prompted Trump to threaten reimposing a 25% tariff on European imports, including automobiles.
EU countries formally adopted the required legislation on Thursday only for Trump to raise the stakes again the following day with his digital tax ultimatum.
Washington’s pushback against digital services taxes is not new. The US Trade Representative’s office has long warned France, Britain, Austria, Spain and other European nations that such levies which disproportionately affect US firms that dominate the global digital economy amount to discrimination against American companies.
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But Trump’s latest threat goes further than any previous US position, applying a blanket penalty to any country worldwide that moves to tax American tech platforms, and explicitly stating it would supersede all existing trade agreements.
(With inputs from Reuters)
