EU could tax Big Tech if Trump trade talks fail, says von der Leyen

https://www.ft.com/content/fba18bd9-46f9-4736-89f3-976afe3abf7a

by NanorH

26 comments

  2. I wonder why they aren’t taxed already. I am… They pay peanuts

  4. Not could, SHOULD.

    It’s the only appropriate response to further escalation and it hurts the right people, especially since the tech bros cheerfully backed Trump after he won the elections.

  5. Imho it ends up to be a bit silly with this well know cycle now of 1/regulations, 2/asking for fact checks, 3/fines, then 4/extra layer of taxes threats (based on profit).

    I would prefer by far: funds for new “social plateforms” owned by the EU, or at least an attempt to do it…

  6. IIRC there are still 10% tariffs. If he does not drop them, enact this.

  7. It’s not matter of „if”, dear Ursula. Just do it.

  8. Why not before, a lot of big companies are not paying their taxes but still making money here

  10. Should’ve done this years ago.

    Also ban Google, META and YouTube to put subsidized server parks on our continent. Fuck them.

  11. Big Tech is increasingly proving to be a threat to democracy! It’s complicated… On one hand, it’s good that people have unrestricted access to social media. On the other hand, those behind Big Tech know the power they wield, and they’re starting to cross lines. At this rate, governments will soon be ruled by Big Tech! And that can’t be allowed to happen…

  12. Neat. Those companies can just raise the prices of their services to compensate since these services are incredibly sticky and hard to displace. What is the EU going to do? Replace Cisco/Microsoft/Google, etc? Okkkkk good luck with that.

    Meanwhile the US can just shut down Germany auto exports overnight.

  13. Every single headline you read is the EU “could” do this or “could” do that. When are we going to see less posturing and more action?

  14. So she indirectly admitted that US concerns’ not being taxed currently is part of the colonial agreement between the US and Europe and not some elaborate tax avoidance scheme which is always one step ahead of the legislators.
    Sad bunch of spies, traitors and slaves of US capital; I bet they will just accept Trump’s 10% tariffs (and possibly more in 90 days) as if nothing happened and try to sell it as a big negotiation victory to EU citizens.
    Hopefully one day Europe will wake up and rise.

  15. Is that all she and the EU like saying? the word “could”

    like shut the fuck up and just do it please.

  16. 90 days, just stall as much as you can and wait and see how much trump may have lost of his political standing by then. Time is playing against the US, no need to rush.

  17. Please do. No matter what he does. Creating European alternatives is needed anyway

  18. Do it, don’t wait, also force the companies to keep EU data in EU and make them share the EU part of the outside company with an owned EU company.

    Trump is forcing tiktok to sell their American part.

    EU should do it for USA and China.

  20. Our response to Trump’s trade war has been absolutely pathetic.

    Cars, steel and aluminium have been tariffed at 25% for the past month.

    Then he slaps us with another 20% on everything coming from the EU.

    We finally get off our collective ass to give them a little smack on wrist for the first round of tariffs.

    Trump back paddles and reduces the second tariffs down to 10% for just 90 days cause their treasury bond market was about to collapse.

    And now we do what exactly? Fold immediately, pull back our response to the first round of tariffs and come crawling to beg for dear leader to make a deal with us.

    Get the fuck out of here. Some of our biggest industries are facing 35% price increases in the US, hurting our businesses and the best we can do is acting like spineless little cowards.

    I understand that we don’t have the economic might to go hog wild like China but this is fucking pathetic. Talking big game about targeted tariff packages that were prepared to hurt red states specifically and then do nothing but bend the knee the first opportunity we get.

  21. Don’t just tax them. Ban X and Facebook at least. They provide zero values to society and are attack vectors.

  24. Don’t need much effort for that. Start by forbidding Microsoft Ireland to having their HQ in Bermuda

  26. Welp. Seems Trumps threats did not work, and she got him by the diaper. Doubt he has any nuts left to grab.

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