ITI Welcomes USTR Request for Consultations on Canada’s DST
WASHINGTON — Today, global tech trade association ITI issued the following statement from its Senior Director of Tax and Trade Policy Megan Funkhouser on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) request for dispute settlement consultations under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) with respect to Canada’s digital services tax:
“ITI commends USTR’s decision to request dispute settlement consultations under the USMCA on Canada’s digital services tax, which targets U.S. companies and attempts to ring-fence the digital economy. While it is unfortunate Canada ignored repeated requests from stakeholders to forgo its controversial measure, industry greatly appreciates the Biden Administration taking this step to stand up for U.S. companies and workers. As USTR pursues dispute settlement procedures under the USMCA, ITI urges the administration to keep in mind all tools at its disposal – including the Section 301 statute – as means of addressing this incredibly problematic measure and preventing further proliferation of measures that destabilize the international tax and trade environment.”