澳大利亚政府本周完成了《新闻讨价还价激励措施》立法，该政策旨在对科技公司征收高达2.5%的税款以补偿本地媒体，目标筹集最高2.5亿美元[1]。税率相较之前的提议从2.25%上调至2.5%[1]。
美国政府对这一政策提出强烈反对。美国国务院声明称，特朗普总统致力于保护美国科技部门免受数字服务税和其他形式的外国"勒索"[1]。美国贸易代表办公室已将该政策列入监视名单[1]。美国计算机和通信工业协会副总裁Jonathan McHale指责修改后的政策"基本上是装饰性的"，并声称其"没有改变该提议的歧视性质"[1]。
面对来自美国的压力，澳大利亚政府坚持立场。澳总理阿尔巴尼斯表示，"我们是主权国家，我的政府将基于澳大利亚国家利益做出决定"[1]。
Australia completed legislation this week on the News Bargaining Incentive Scheme, designed to impose a tax of up to 2.5 percent on technology companies to compensate local media outlets [1]. The measure aims to raise as much as AUD 250 million, with the tax rate increased from 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent [1]. American tech giants Meta and Google remain dissatisfied with the revised policy and are preparing to challenge it with backing from the Trump administration [1].
The United States has escalated its criticism of the scheme, with the State Department characterizing it as a form of foreign extortion targeting American companies [1]. The U.S. Trade Representative's Office has placed the policy on a monitoring list [1]. According to a State Department statement, President Trump is committed to protecting the American technology sector from digital services taxes and similar measures [1]. Jonathan McHale, vice president of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, dismissed the modifications as "essentially cosmetic" and stated they "do not change the discriminatory nature of the proposal" [1].
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded to international pressure in April, asserting: "We are a sovereign nation and my government will make decisions based on Australian national interests" [1].