Trump delivers shock blow to Keir Starmer as he unleashes 100% tariff threat on UK | World | News
Donald Trump is threatening to slap a 100% tariff on all movies made outside of the US, which could be a major blow for the UK film industry. According to data from the British Film Institute (BFI), US studios spent a considerable £1.36 billion on inward investment films in the UK in 2022.
In large part, American film producers have been incentivised to invest by the UK’s generous tax breaks, the country’s diverse locations, as well as its pool of talented technicians and actors. Recent major Hollywood blockbusters have been partly filmed in the UK, such as Mission Impossible 7 and Fast X. However, this investment could be set to end if the US President carries out his threat to impose swingeing levies.
Trump claimed that the US film industry had been “stolen” by other countries, and that the levy would “solve this long time, never ending problem”.
The US President had previously said in May that he would consult with Hollywood executives over his plans.
In a post to his Truth Social website, the he wrote: “Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby.’
“California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit!” He added the 100% tariff would be imposed “on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States”.
Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell, pointed out that many producers were choosing to shoot films outside of the USA because of better incentives.
He queried how such a levy could be imposed and said it would be difficult to define an American-made movie if a film were shot in the US but was financed from abroad and used foreign actors and directors.
“So it’s hard to understand just how Trump intends to impose the levy,” he said.
The UK government is reported to be waiting for the details of the new tariff and how it will impact the British film industry.
A spokesperson for the Department for Business & Trade told the BBC that the UK film industry employs millions of people and “generates billions for our economy”.
The film tariffs are just the latest in a series of new levies announced by the Trump White House in recent weeks, which include new charges on branded or patented drug imports.
