{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://estes.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=7206", "Estes Leads Colleagues on Letter to POTUS: UK DSTs are Discriminatory to US", "2025-09-16", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "House", "KS", "Ron Estes", "E000298", "estes.house.gov", "estes", "https://estes.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "U.S. Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) led 21 of his colleagues on a letter to President Donald Trump supporting his efforts to get rid of discriminatory Digital Services Taxes (DSTs), specifically focusing on the U.K.\u2019s DST. These taxes sponge economic profit away from American innovators and workers, resulting in American dollars being shifted into foreign coffers. Since 2020, more than $3 billion has been collected by the U.K.\u2019s Digital Services Tax.\n\nThe full letter can be found below.\n\nBackground:\n\nJune 2025 \u2013 Rep. Estes Reacts To Canada\u2019s Removal Of DSTs\n\nJune 2025 \u2013 Rep. Estes Sends Letter to POTUS Urging Removal of Canada\u2019s DST\n\nMarch 2025 \u2013 Newsweek: Congressman: Trump Is Helping U.S. Retake Control of Its Own Tax Policy | Opinion\n\nFebruary 2025 \u2013 Rep. Estes Commends Administration on DST Investigation\n\nJune 2024 \u2013 Rep. Estes Condemns Canada\u2019s Digital Services Tax\n\nMarch 2023 \u2013 Reps. Estes, Kildee Introduce Resolution Condemning Foreign Digital Services Taxes (DSTs)\n\nMarch 2023 \u2013 Rep. Estes Questions Biden Trade Ambassador Tai on DSTs\n\nJanuary 2020 \u2013 Rep. Estes Pens Letter to the Editor in Response to French Economic Minister on DSTs\n\nJuly 2019 \u2013 Rep. Estes Applauds Investigation of French Digital Tax\n\nApril 2019 \u2013 Rep. Estes in Fox Business: US must challenge France's shakedown of American tech companies\n\nDear President Trump,\n\nWe write to express our serious concerns regarding the United Kingdom\u2019s discriminatory digital services tax (DST) and urge you to seek its removal as soon as possible. The UK\u2019s DST collected $1 billion in 2024 alone, and an estimated $3.1 billion between 2021 and 2024, almost entirely from American companies. The UK itself has stated that 90% of the DST is paid by five companies, which the U.S. Trade Representative believes to all be American owned companies. This discriminatory action undermines American innovation and captures the U.S. tax base.\n\nWe applaud you for your attention and action combating discriminatory DSTs that target U.S. companies. We are deeply appreciative of your recent comments that digital taxes must end immediately and that \u201cAmerican Technology Companies, are neither the \u2018piggy bank\u2019 nor the \u2018doormat\u2019 of the World any longer.\u201d You have demonstrated a focus on eliminating these unfair trading practices from our partners and you have delivered wins for American companies, most notably Canada\u2019s commitment to withdraw its DST. Additionally, India also ended its DST and New Zealand withdrew its DST legislation in response to your resolve.\n\nThe UK\u2019s insistence to maintain its DST contradicts its commitment to treat U.S. companies fairly, and if permitted to continue, will set a dangerous precedent for other countries, including those that continue to levy DSTs on U.S. companies or others, such as Poland and Slovakia, that are proposing new DSTs. It is therefore essential that the UK removes this tax promptly.\n\nAs you prepare for the upcoming U.S.-UK Leaders\u2019 Summit, we urge you to prioritize securing a commitment that the UK will remove its DST. Should the UK fail to agree, we believe reopening the Section 301 investigation into the DST would be a necessary and appropriate action.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T15:07:37Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://estes.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=7206"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7605929858982563, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}