WASHINGTON DC (July 10, 2019) — Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles "Chuck" Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today released the following joint statement regarding the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) opening of a Section 301 investigation under the Trade Act of 1974 of a proposed digital-services tax being pursued by France that would unfairly target some US-based companies.
“The digital-services tax that France and other European countries are pursuing is clearly protectionist and unfairly targets American companies in a way that will cost US jobs and harm American workers. We have urged the Administration to consider all available tools to address this discriminatory action, and applaud the US Trade Representative for launching an investigation. The United States would not need to pursue this path if other countries would abandon these unilateral actions and focus their energies on the multilateral process that is underway at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. We urge USTR to continue working with the Treasury Department on a unified strategy that prevents other countries from taking unilateral, discriminatory action that would result in new trade-barriers and significant double-taxation,” the sens said.
