Trump threatens 100% tariff on European nations over tech tax
US president Donald Trump has vowed to impose a 100% import tariff on any European country that introduces a digital services tax on American technology giants.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said "Numerous European countries" had been discussing bringing in such a levy and some were close to doing so.
He warned that the punitive penalties would be applied immediately and would completely "supersede" any existing bilateral trade agreements.
While the post targets nations planning the "imminent implementation" of new levies, the precise implications for the UK were not immediately clear, given London has had such a tax in place for some time.
"Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America," he wrote.
Britain's 2% Digital Services Tax (DST) on major search engines, social media platforms, and online marketplaces was introduced in April 2020.
The tax applies to tech multinationals like Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon, specifically targeting firms with global digital revenues exceeding £500 million and UK revenues over £25 million.
It raised more than £800 million in 2024–25, up from £678 million in 2023–24, according to the Treasury.
The Department for Business and Trade and the Treasury have been contacted for comment.
Friday's tariff warning is the latest in several announcements from President Trump's administration of new import taxes since the US Supreme Court struck down many of his previous duties in February.
Earlier this month the US announced new tariffs of 10-12.5% on dozens of countries accounting for almost all its imports over concerns they are not doing enough to tackle forced labour.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
US President Donald Trump has announced he will impose 100% tariffs on any European country introducing a digital services tax targeting American technology companies. Trump stated the penalties would take immediate effect and supersede existing trade agreements. Britain introduced a 2% Digital Services Tax in April 2020 on major tech multinationals with significant UK revenues; it generated over £800 million in 2024–25. The precise implications for the UK remain unclear given the existing tax is already in place. This announcement follows other recent tariff actions by Trump's administration, including 10–12.5% duties announced earlier this month on dozens of countries.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
US president Donald Trump has vowed to impose a 100% import tariff on any European country that introduces a digital services tax on American technology giants.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said "Numerous European countries" had been discussing bringing in such a levy and some were close to doing so.
He warned that the punitive penalties would be applied immediately and would completely "supersede" any existing bilateral trade agreements.
While the post targets nations planning the "imminent implementation" of new levies, the precise implications for the UK were not immediately clear, given London has had such a tax in place for some time.
"Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America," he wrote.
Britain's 2% Digital Services Tax (DST) on major search engines, social media platforms, and online marketplaces was introduced in April 2020.
The tax applies to tech multinationals like Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon, specifically targeting firms with global digital revenues exceeding £500 million and UK revenues over £25 million.
It raised more than £800 million in 2024–25, up from £678 million in 2023–24, according to the Treasury.
The Department for Business and Trade and the Treasury have been contacted for comment.
Friday's tariff warning is the latest in several announcements from President Trump's administration of new import taxes since the US Supreme Court struck down many of his previous duties in February.
Earlier this month the US announced new tariffs of 10-12.5% on dozens of countries accounting for almost all its imports over concerns they are not doing enough to tackle forced labour.
Read the full story at BBC ↗
Trump threatened 100% tariffs on European nations implementing digital services taxes on US tech companies Trump stated the tariffs would apply immediately and override existing bilateral trade agreements Britain's Digital Services Tax was introduced in April 2020 at 2% on tech multinationals with global digital revenues exceeding £500 million and UK revenues over £25 million Britain's Digital Services Tax raised over £800 million in 2024–25, up from £678 million in 2023–24 The tariff warning is described as 'the latest' in a series of import tax announcements from Trump's administration The precise implications for the UK were described as 'not immediately clear' despite the existing tax
Read the full story at BBC ↗
- Trump has threatened 100% tariffs on European nations that implement digital services taxes on US tech companies
- Britain's existing 2% Digital Services Tax has raised over £800 million in 2024–25 from firms like Apple, Google, Meta, and Amazon
- The tariff threat would override existing bilateral trade agreements and represent the latest in a series of import duty announcements from Trump's administration