(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. added Austria, Spain, and the U.K. to the string of countries it says are discriminating against American companies through their decisions to tax local revenue of Internet giants such as Facebook Inc.
The office of the U.S. Trade Representative won’t take specific action following the outcome of the investigations, but will continue to “evaluate all available options,” it said in a statement Thursday. Last week, the USTR issued similar findings against India, Italy and Turkey.
In June, the USTR started investigations into the moves of at least 10 countries under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, which allows it to retaliate for trade practices it deems unfair. It’s the same tool used to justify U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods for alleged theft of intellectual property.
Plans for an international digital-tax agreement brokered by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have been delayed until at least summer of this year after it became clear the initial deadline of reaching a deal in 2020 wouldn’t be met. The goal had been to replace individual country’s digital taxes with a global plan.
Without an OECD agreement, countries are going ahead with their own versions of the taxes, which could result in a worldwide retaliatory tax and tariff war between the U.S. and nations that want a share of the taxes from American tech giants’ revenue. Belgium, Norway and Latvia are among countries that could introduce digital services taxes in 2021, while Spain and Czech Republic start collecting the tax this month.
“The taxation of companies that engage in international trade in goods and services is an important issue,” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in the statement. “The best outcome would be for countries to come together to find a solution.”
Últimas Noticias
Debanhi Escobar: they secured the motel where she was found lifeless in a cistern
Members of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Nuevo León secured the Nueva Castilla Motel as part of the investigations into the case
The oldest person in the world died at the age of 119
Kane Tanaka lived in Japan. She was born six months earlier than George Orwell, the same year that the Wright brothers first flew, and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize
Macabre find in CDMX: they left a body bagged and tied in a taxi
The body was left in the back seats of the car. It was covered with black bags and tied with industrial tape
The eagles of America will face Manchester City in a duel of legends. Here are the details
The top Mexican football champion will play a match with Pep Guardiola's squad in the Lone Star Cup
Why is it good to bring dogs out to know the world when they are puppies
A so-called protection against the spread of diseases threatens the integral development of dogs
