Poland advances digital services tax targeting big tech, warns of impact on local firms

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digitalisation, Krzysztof Gawkowski, is pushing a digital services tax aimed at large international platforms. The proposal envisions a 3 percent levy on selected digital services such as targeted advertising, platform intermediation and paid data transfers.

The tax would be offset by corporate‑income‑tax paid in Poland to avoid double‑taxation of firms that already comply with national rules. Gawkowski stresses the need for clear revenue thresholds, a precise definition of Polish‑market earnings and mechanisms to stop cost‑shifting onto domestic retailers and consumers. He argues that the measure follows the Polish economic interest and cites the United‑States’ approach under Donald Trump as a model for demanding investment and jobs from global tech giants. The United States, however, has expressed opposition to the plan.

If drafted poorly, the tax could burden Polish companies and consumers rather than solely extracting revenue from foreign digital corporations, according to Gawkowski.