John Whelan: US strategic blind spot is Ireland's biggest worry 

The omission of services from Donald Trump's calculations is not merely a technical quirk — it is a strategic blind spot, with damaging consequences for international trade and political stability

Donald Trump's tariff plans largely ignore the fact that the US is now a service-based economy — a sector in which the country has a large trade surplus. 

The rapid growth of the digital economy has disrupted traditional tax frameworks, which rely on physical movement of goods. Many digital firms generate substantial revenues across borders, while paying relatively low taxes.

Revenues from these digital companies are difficult to track, often go untaxed, and are underreported in international trade statistics.