'Discrimination': Trump aide blasts foreign tech levies
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The news: A top Trump adviser has attacked countries which target American tech companies with tax levies, sparking concerns Canberra is on a collision course with the White House.
The context: In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, trade adviser Peter Navarro accused foreign countries of “discriminating against our biggest tech companies” by imposing levies on them.
“They use them to promote their own national champions inside the country. Effectively, they steal our tax revenues from us. It’s just outrageous,” he said.
“These countries are going to learn that the juice isn't worth the squeeze.”
Navarro did not specifically name Australia, which has put plans to impose levies on tech giants — like Meta and Google — on ice until after the election following Trump’s return to the White House.
Labor pitched its news bargaining incentive as a charge and offset scheme, rather than a tax, and will target firms with an annual turnover in excess of $250 million. Labor argues that would incentivise commercial deal-making, though Google has labelled it a targeted tax.
Canberra’s attempts to force social media companies to pay for news on their platforms has the potential to antagonise American tech giants.
X owner and Trump confidant Elon Musk also labelled the Albanese government “fascist” in September, after the eSafety Commissioner tried to have footage of an attempted murder removed from the platform.
Earlier this month, Navarro took direct aim at Australia over its exports of aluminium and steel, two products which the Trump administration aims to put tariffs on from 12 March.
While Trump has publicly stated he was considering an exemption for Australia, an outcome Canberra is scrambling to secure, the White House has delivered mixed messages on that prospect.
A day after Trump’s comments, Navarro used another CNN appearance to accuse Australia of transhipping materials to help other countries avoid American tariffs.
Navarro is a public advocate for tariffs, and was overruled when he argued against a tariff exemption for Australia in 2018.
What they said: “What these countries are doing is discriminating against our biggest tech companies. They do it in a way [that] only applies to the very largest companies, and it’s always the American companies,” Navarro told CNN.
The sources: CNN, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian
