Warsaw, March 25, 2026 – The Europe Today: Poland’s government has announced plans to begin drafting legislation for a digital services tax, a move aimed at ensuring fair competition and increasing public revenues, but one that could potentially heighten tensions with the United States.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digitalisation, Krzysztof Gawkowski, confirmed that work on the bill will commence following approval at the governmental level.
The proposed tax is designed to address disparities between global technology companies and domestic firms. “Global platforms often pay lower taxes than locally operating companies. This undermines competition and limits budget revenues. We’re changing that,” Gawkowski said in a statement posted on X.
According to initial details, the tax would apply to digital activities such as online advertising, platforms that connect users, and data trading. The levy could reach up to 3% and would target only large corporations with global revenues exceeding €1 billion and Polish revenues above 25 million zlotys.
Officials say the initiative aims not only to level the playing field for local businesses but also to generate additional funds for technological development and broader digitalisation efforts across the country.
The move comes alongside Poland’s broader regulatory agenda in the digital sector, including proposed restrictions on social media access for children under the age of 15.
Analysts suggest that these measures could place Poland at odds with major global technology firms such as Meta and X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk.
While the government maintains that the legislation is necessary to modernize the digital economy and protect national interests, the proposal is expected to draw scrutiny from international partners, particularly the United States, where many of the affected companies are headquartered.
