Trade war goes digital: countries eye tariffs on Internet economy

A 20-year global moratorium on imposing tariffs on digital trade could end next week if India or South Africa makes good on threats, according to trade officials and documents, potentially forcing people to pay duties on software and movie downloads.

Since 1998, World Trade Organization (WTO) members have renewed a ban on import duties on so-called “electronic transmissions”, worth up to USD 255 billion a year by one estimate.