Champagne says Canada won’t pause digital services tax

By Canadian Press on June 19, 2025.

OTTAWA — The finance minister says Canada won’t put a hold on its digital services tax on big tech companies, set to take effect on June 30.

Pressure has mounted on Ottawa to pause the tax ahead of trade discussions with the U.S.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne told reporters the legislation was passed by Parliament and Canada is “going ahead” with the tax.

The tax will hit companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb with a three per cent levy on revenue from Canadian users.

It will apply retroactively, leaving U.S. companies with a $2 billion US bill due at the end of the month.

Canadian and U.S. business groups, organizations representing U.S. tech giants and American members of Congress have all signed letters calling for the tax to be eliminated or paused.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025

Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press