The European Commission has issued a serious warning to Donald Trump and has made it clear that it will not hesitate to react "swiftly and forcefully" if the President of the United States ends up materializing his threat to impose a 100% tariff on European countries that establish a tax on digital services.
"Unilateral measures that undermine these legitimate policies are unjustified. If carried out, the EU will respond swiftly and decisively to defend its rights and its regulatory autonomy," a spokesperson for the European Commission stated in declarations to the press.
In this context, Brussels has reiterated that the European Union and its member states maintain the "sovereign" right to regulate economic activity in their territories in accordance with their "democratic values and international commitments."
At the same time, it has stressed that these taxes are not, by nature, discriminatory, but rather apply equally to all companies regardless of their origin. In this way, the Commission rejects the argument of the White House tenant, who maintains that this tax is directed against American tech companies and that it has been designed to "take advantage" of these firms.
"The EU has systematically supported a global solution for the fair taxation of the digital economy, in line with the conclusions of the G7 finance ministers. This remains our preferred path, and we are willing to collaborate constructively to achieve it," the Commission spokesperson pointed out.
Trump had previously defended on social media the imposition of a 100% tariff on European countries that introduce taxes on digital services, even threatening to annul trade agreements signed with said states. However, the EU has recalled on several occasions that regulations on the digital economy are not included in the current tariff agreements with the United States.
The US president has referred to the debate open within the European Union on the creation of a specific tax for these services. "Some of these countries are close to doing it," Trump indicated. The possibility of coordinating the implementation of this tax on a community scale has rekindled friction with Brussels.
For now, countries like Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, or Hungary have already incorporated into their tax systems a levy of this type on income generated by search engines, social networks, and online commerce platforms that derive value in their territories. The objective is for these services to be taxed where they are consumed, instead of paying taxes in the countries where they are provided, which are usually other jurisdictions.