Poland's deputy prime minister vowed on Tuesday to stick with plans to introduce a new tax on big tech, hitting back at a threat of retaliation from the incoming United States ambassador amid a deepening war of words between Warsaw and Washington.
The dispute intensified after Thomas Rose, the incoming US ambassador to Poland, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday evening. In his post, Rose described the proposed tax as “not very smart” and warned that it would hurt Poland and its relations with the United States. “A self destructive tax that will only hurt Poland and its relations w/USA. President Trump will reciprocate as well he should. Rescind the tax to avoid the consequences!” he wrote.
In an interview with Radio Zet, Gawkowski, who also serves as minister of digital affairs, dismissed Rose’s criticism as an overreach. “It’s sick for somebody to tell another country what legislation it can pass,” he said, adding, “This is standing democracy on its head.”
Meanwhile, Polish Funds Minister Katarzyna Pelczynska-Nalecz, representing the centre-right Poland2050 coalition partner, questioned the timing of the tax. Speaking on state TV, she acknowledged that taxing big tech could be beneficial but called the current timing “incomprehensible” given the potential risks of igniting a trade war.
Gawkowski provided few specifics about the new tax but indicated that it would target profits made by big tech firms in Poland and aim to support the growth of domestic technology companies. His remarks came amid an already volatile atmosphere in US-European relations, fueled by President Donald Trump’s hard-line security and trade policies, which have strained Washington’s ties with traditional allies in the region.
The spat adds to a series of recent high-profile exchanges between US and Polish officials. Last weekend, a public disagreement involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, tech billionaire Elon Musk, and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski erupted after Sikorski suggested that Poland might need to find a new provider for Ukraine’s internet services if Elon Musk’s Starlink were to become unreliable. Poland currently funds Ukraine’s Starlink subscription, a move that has sparked further debate.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also weighed in on social media, cautioning Poland’s “friends” against “arrogance” in their dealings, while the nationalist opposition party Law and Justice (PiS) criticized the government’s approach, arguing that it was harming relations with Poland’s most important ally.
As the situation develops, Poland’s resolve to implement its big tech tax underscores a broader clash over economic policy and national sovereignty, set against the backdrop of an increasingly complex transatlantic relationship.
Germany’s Adidas increased its full-year profit guidance, saying it managed to cushion some of the extra expenses resulting from higher U.S. tariffs...
A Jan. 6 rioter who was pardoned by President Donald Trump has been charged with making terroristic threats after allegedly sending text messages that...
Netflix (NFLX) missed Wall Street third-quarter earnings targets due to an unexpected expense from a dispute with Brazilian tax authorities, though it...
Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia have strengthened their strategic economic partnership with new projects in the capital’s development plan, including th...
European nations are working with Ukraine on a new ceasefire proposal along current battle lines, aiming to keep the United States in a central role, ...
Poland and Romania detained eight people suspected of planning sabotage on behalf of Russia, authorities in Warsaw said on Tuesday, with three arrests concerning an alleged new plan to send exploding parcels, this time to Ukraine.
The first container ship to operate on the China-Europe Arctic express route has arrived in Poland, marking a milestone in commercial shipping through the Arctic’s Northeast Passage.
The bill, presented by Karol Nawrocki in August, removes the income tax obligation on families earning up to 140,000 zloty (€32,973) a year.
A Polish court decided on Wednesday (October 1) that the Ukrainian diver wanted by Berlin over his alleged involvement in explosions which damaged the Nord Stream gas pipeline, must be kept in custody while a decision to transfer him to Germany is made.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Germany’s Adidas increased its full-year profit guidance, saying it managed to cushion some of the extra expenses resulting from higher U.S. tariffs.
Germany’s Adidas on Tuesday raised its full-year operating profit forecast, saying it had successfully offset part of the additional costs caused by higher U.S. tariffs.
New Zealand's annual inflation accelerated in the third quarter, reaching 3.0%, which aligns with analysts' expectations and is at the upper end of the central bank's target range, according to official data released on Monday.
On Sunday, the Netherlands' Economy Minister, Vincent Karremans, stated that he expects to meet with a Chinese government official in the coming days to discuss how to resolve the standoff over Nexperia NV, a computer chip maker whose issues are threatening global automotive supply chains.
In the first nine months of this year, 10.2 billion cubic metres of gas were produced from the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) block in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, according to operational data released by the Ministry of Energy.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment