US tax policy: Leaders of many European countries express concerns

According to VNA correspondents in Europe, leaders of many countries in this continent have had initial reactions after US President Donald Trump announced the new base tax and reciprocal tax schedule in the late afternoon of April 2, US time, or early this morning, Vietnam time.

On social network X, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson commented: "Free enterprise and competition have laid the foundation for the success of the West. This is why Americans can listen to music on Swedish Spotify and we, Swedes, can listen to the same music on American iPhones... I deeply regret the way the US has chosen to restrict trade through imposing higher tariffs."

Also on the X website, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted: "Friendship means partnership. Partnership includes corresponding tariffs. Appropriate decisions need to be made."

From Denmark, Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen commented: "I am confused... No one wins, everyone loses. Instead of building walls, we should tear down barriers. Europe needs to be united. Europe will respond strongly and proportionately."

Meanwhile, in an interview with NRK, Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth said: “We are calculating and analyzing the situation. But it is clear that the current situation is very serious for the global economy and is vital for Norway.”

View of the container port in Felixstowe town, Suffolk, England. Photo: Getty Images/TTXVN

From London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also emphasized: "Trade wars are not beneficial to anyone." According to a VNA reporter in the UK, Prime Minister Starmer pledged to have a cautious approach to the Trump administration's tax policy and avoid being drawn into a trade war with the US. In addition, the British leader also made it clear that London was prepared for all situations and did not rule out "anything."

Prime Minister Starmer also said Britain and the US were holding constructive talks on a potential economic deal that he hoped would see US tariffs on Britain reduced. In the talks, Britain offered to scrap or reduce its digital services tax and impose a 2% levy on the revenues of some of the world's biggest tech companies, including US tech giants Google, Amazon and Microsoft.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called on Prime Minister Starmer to work with the European Union (EU) and other allies to build retaliatory measures in what he called an "economic coalition of the willing".

However, British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves, in a speech to the House of Commons Treasury Committee, said there should be no rush to respond to US tariffs given the UK's continued efforts to reach an economic deal with the world's largest economy. She also said she had spoken to European Economic Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis in the framework of discussions with many other countries as well as the EU on how to respond to US tariffs. The head of the UK finance industry reiterated the desire for trade barriers to be lowered, while warning that the UK could be affected by the wider global consequences of any US tariffs.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/the-gioi/chinh-sach-thue-cua-my-lanh-dao-nhieu-nuoc-chau-au-bay-to-lo-ngai-20250403090422492.htm