Donald Trump has announced that the United States will impose 100% import tariffs on any European country that implements or adopts a digital services tax on major American technology companies.
In a statement published on his “Truth Social” platform, the US president said that several European countries are close to approving new taxes on these tech giants and warned that Washington would respond without delay with punitive trade measures.
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“Any country that imposes such a tax will immediately face a 100% tariff on every product exported to the United States,” Trump wrote, adding that these measures would replace any existing bilateral trade agreements.
This statement comes just days after the US and the European Union concluded a new trade agreement, increasing uncertainty over economic relations between the two sides.
Meanwhile, although Trump’s message appears to be aimed at countries preparing to introduce new taxes, it is still unclear what impact this could have on the United Kingdom, which has had a 2% Digital Services Tax in force since 2020.
This tax in Britain applies to major companies such as Apple, Google, Meta and Amazon, which generate significant revenues globally and in the British market. According to British authorities, more than £800 million in revenue was generated from this scheme during the 2024–2025 fiscal years.
Earlier this year, Trump had criticized London over this policy, describing it as a measure that unfairly targets American companies.
In addition to the United Kingdom, a 3% tax on digital services provided by major technology companies is also applied by France, Italy and Spain, while other European Union countries have either put forward similar proposals or are considering them.
So far, there has been no official response from European authorities regarding Trump’s statements. However, earlier, Cyprus’ Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Michael Damianos, said that the European Union is prepared to respond “swiftly and proportionately” if trade agreements are not respected or if the bloc’s interests are undermined.
