Trump ends trade talks with Canada over a digital services tax
President Donald Trump said the US is ending trade talks with Canada, effective immediately, over a tax on digital services that will impact American tech companies. He also pledged to announce further tariffs on Canada within the next week, adding in a Truth Social post that "they will be paying to do business with the United States of America."
Canada's digital services tax (DST) is set to take effect on June 30, though it will be applied retroactively. According to The New York Times , US companies are preparing to pay around $2.7 billion to the Canadian government to cover a three percent tax on revenue they generated from users in the country. Companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb are subject to the levy, as things stand.
In his post on Friday, Trump called the DST "a direct and blatant attack on our country." Amid trade talks with the US, Canada's finance minister, François-Philippe Champagne, said this month that the country had no plans to hit the pause button on the DST . Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney previously said they aimed to reach a trade deal by around July 20.
Since taking office in January, Trump has been using tariffs as a negotiating tactic with other nations. The US reached a trade deal with China over rare earth minerals this week, and it is soon set to reimpose some of the levies that were put on hold in April for 90 days .
The DST has been a bone of contention between the US and Canada for years. The Biden administration formally challenged the levy last year under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Other jurisdictions have considered or enacted a similar tax. It was reported in May that Germany is mulling a 10 percent levy on platforms such as Google and Facebook.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
30 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘Huge' BlackRock Crypto Bombshell Suddenly Hurtling Toward Bitcoin At Key Price ‘Turning Point'
Bitcoin has bounced back in recent weeks, surging as serious U.S. dollar collapse fears drive billionaire interest in bitcoin. Front-run Donald Trump, the White House and Wall Street by subscribing now to Forbes' CryptoAsset & Blockchain Advisor where you can "uncover blockchain blockbusters poised for 1,000% plus gains!" The bitcoin price has soared toward its all-time high of $112,000 per bitcoin, with traders betting a looming Federal Reserve flip will turbo-charge the crypto market. Now, as U.S. president Donald Trump issues a surprise crypto prediction, bitcoin and crypto are braced for a 'huge' BlackRock crypto market bombshell that has suddenly appeared on the 'horizon.' Sign up now for the free CryptoCodex—A daily five-minute newsletter for traders, investors and the crypto-curious that will get you up to date and keep you ahead of the bitcoin and crypto market bull run BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink has become one of the most bullish bitcoin price voices on Wall ... More Street in recent years. In-kind redemptions for the bitcoin and crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that have taken Wall Street by storm over the last 18 months could be coming soon, according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioner Hester Peirce. 'I can't prejudge, but we hear that there's a lot of interest,' Peirce, who heads up the SEC's crypto task force, said on stage at a Bitcoin Policy Institute event, adding that in kind bitcoin and crypto ETFs are now 'on the horizon.' In-kind redemptions allow investors to exchange ETF shares directly for the underlying asset rather than receiving cash, which is currently the case for the spot bitcoin and crypto ETFs approved by the SEC in early 2024—a change described as 'huge' by Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst Eric Balchunas. In-kind redemptions for bitcoin and crypto funds would make it cheaper and quicker for traders to buy and sell ETF shares, potentially making them more attractive to institutional investors on Wall Street. Earlier this year, BlackRock, which has dominated the spot bitcoin ETF market with its $75 billion IBIT fund, asked the SEC to permit in-kind creations and redemptions for bitcoin ETFs, instead of having to use cash, with the likes of Fidelity and other smaller bitcoin and crypto ETF providers following suit. "Those (forms) are going through the process now," Peirce said. Sign up now for CryptoCodex—A free, daily newsletter for the crypto-curious The bitcoin price has rocketed to an all-time high this year, helped by BlackRock's massive $75 ... More billion bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). BlackRock, which manages after around $10 trillion worth of assets for investors, spearheaded Wall Street's campaign to bring a long-awaited spot bitcoin ETF to market in 2023, with a fleet of funds debuting in January 2024 that now hold 1.4 million bitcoin worth $152 billion. BlackRock's fund alone holds around 3% of the 21 million bitcoin that will ever exist, worth almost $75 billion at the current bitcoin price, which some have warned could be giving BlackRock outsized control over the network. Meanwhile, the combined bitcoin price and crypto market is on the verge of a 'turning point' as it hits $3.4 trillion, according to one analyst. 'The $3.4 trillion to 3.55 trillion range is a turning point, which has activated sellers and prevented the market from consolidating higher,' Alex Kuptsikevich, FxPro chief market analyst, said in emailed comments. 'Since the end of Wednesday, bitcoin has been testing the $108,000 mark, but it will sell off when it touches this level. Over the past couple of days, we have seen a smooth but steady intraday uptrend, accompanied by heavy buying from medium—and long-term investors. We see this as a sign of buying by professional market participants and link it to strengthening stocks, which increases the likelihood of reaching $110,000 or even $112,000 as early as this week.'
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Charting the Global Economy: Consumer Spending Weakens in US
(Bloomberg) -- US consumers are growing tired, according to fresh data that showed cutbacks in spending on big-ticket goods and services, extending a first-quarter demand slowdown. Philadelphia Transit System Votes to Cut Service by 45%, Hike Fares US Renters Face Storm of Rising Costs Squeezed by Crowds, the Roads of Central Park Are Being Reimagined Sprawl Is Still Not the Answer Mapping the Architectural History of New York's Chinatown Inflation-adjusted consumer spending dropped last month by the most since January. Americans also stepped back from the housing market as new-home sales slid by the most in three years. At the same time, Federal Reserve policymakers indicated they're in little rush to lower interest rates. In the euro area, business activity barely grew amid lingering uncertainty related to US tariffs and geopolitics. Meantime, profits at Chinese industrial firms sagged as the country battles deflationary forces. Here are some of the charts that appeared on Bloomberg this week on the latest developments in the global economy, markets and geopolitics: US Consumer spending declined in May by the most since the start of the year, indicating elevated uncertainty around the Trump administration's economic policies is increasingly weighing on the outlook for growth. The latest figures suggest sluggish household demand, especially for services, extended into May after the weakest quarter for personal consumption since the onset of the pandemic. A flurry of Federal Reserve officials this week made clear they'll need a few more months to gain confidence that tariff-driven price hikes won't raise inflation in a persistent way. Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman captured attention in the past week when they signaled they'd be open to lowering rates as soon as the Fed's July 29-30 meeting if inflation remains contained. New-home sales fell 13.7% in May, the most in almost three years, as rampant incentives from builders fell short of alleviating affordability constraints. The latest results show homebuilders are sitting on rising inventories amid mounting economic challenges, including mortgage rates stuck near 7%, higher materials costs due to tariffs and a slowing labor market. Europe German companies are the most upbeat about the economy in more than two years as an imminent boost to public spending outweighs concerns over US tariffs and wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. The euro area's private sector barely grew in June, remaining in limbo as erratic US trade policy and geopolitical conflicts leave companies in the dark on what's next. Surging grocery bills are threatening to slow the pace of the Bank of England's interest-rate cuts by raising the risk that inflation will stay elevated even as the UK economy shows signs of sputtering. The prices of staples including butter, beef and chocolate in May were up nearly 20% from a year earlier, contributing to the biggest annual jump in overall food prices since February 2024. Asia China's industrial firms saw their profits drop the most since October, illustrating weakness in an economy strained by higher US tariffs and lingering deflationary pressure. Industrial profits fell 9.1% in May from a year earlier. The deterioration bodes ill for business confidence and could make companies more reluctant to invest and hire. Apartment rents in Tokyo are rising at the fastest pace in 30 years in the latest sign for the Bank of Japan that the nation's inflation trend is spreading deeper through the economy. Rents in the capital climbed 1.3% from a year earlier in April and May for the largest gains since 1994, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Emerging Markets Mexico's central bank again cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point but it opened the door to smaller cuts going forward as policymakers worry the economy will continue to suffer headwinds after barely avoiding tipping into recession earlier this year. World In addition to Mexico's policy decision, central bankers in Paraguay, Morocco, Hungary, Thailand, Czech Republic, Guatemala, and Colombia all kept interest rates unchanged. --With assistance from Irina Anghel, Matthew Boesler, John Liu, Catarina Saraiva, Michael Sasso, Zoe Schneeweiss, Mark Schroers, Fran Wang, Alexander Weber and Erica Yokoyama. America's Top Consumer-Sentiment Economist Is Worried How to Steal a House Inside Gap's Last-Ditch, Tariff-Addled Turnaround Push Luxury Counterfeiters Keep Outsmarting the Makers of $10,000 Handbags Apple Test-Drives Big-Screen Movie Strategy With F1 ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Senate Unveils New Trump Tax Draft With Plans to Vote Soon
(Bloomberg) -- Senate Republicans unveiled a new version of their $4.2 trillion tax cut package, moving closer to a vote as they near a July 4 deadline set by President Donald Trump. Philadelphia Transit System Votes to Cut Service by 45%, Hike Fares US Renters Face Storm of Rising Costs Squeezed by Crowds, the Roads of Central Park Are Being Reimagined Sprawl Is Still Not the Answer Mapping the Architectural History of New York's Chinatown The new draft reflects compromises among warring factions of the Senate GOP which has been divided over how much to cut safety-net programs such as Medicaid and how rapidly to phase out of renewable energy tax credits enacted under the Biden administration. A tentative deal with House Republicans to increase the state and local tax deduction is included. The bill would raise the SALT deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000 for five years before snapping back to the $10,000 level. The new cap applies to 2025 and rises 1% in subsequent years. Republicans plan to start voting on the tax bill Saturday with final votes coming as soon as early Sunday. Party leaders plan to bring House members back to Washington early next week for what they hope will be final approval of the measure in time for Trump's Independence Day deadline. It is not yet clear if the 50 Senate Republicans needed to pass the bill are all on board. The bill can be further altered on the Senate floor to secure the votes if needed. The House could make more changes if Speaker Mike Johnson has trouble corralling votes for the measure. To win over moderate Republicans, the bill would create a new $25 billion rural hospital fund aimed at helping some Medicaid providers avoid cuts. Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, however, had demanded a $100 billion fund. Moderate Republicans also won a delay from 2031 to 2032 for when a new 3.5% cap on state Medicaid provider taxes takes effect. The provider tax is a gimmick by which states boost their federal Medicaid reimbursement rates and many states have come to rely on the practice. Another change in the measure is that a tax credit for hydrogen production wouldn't be phased out until 2028 for projects that begin construction before then. Previous version ended the credit after 2025. The measure would avert a US payment default as soon as August by raising the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. --With assistance from Ari Natter and Mike Dorning. (Updates with details of bill starting in third paragraph) America's Top Consumer-Sentiment Economist Is Worried How to Steal a House Inside Gap's Last-Ditch, Tariff-Addled Turnaround Push Luxury Counterfeiters Keep Outsmarting the Makers of $10,000 Handbags Apple Test-Drives Big-Screen Movie Strategy With F1 ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
