US tech giants object to new computer tariffs

Firms accounting for over half of sales say move would hurt competitiveness

Leading United States tech giants are joining forces to oppose Washington's proposal to include laptops and tablet devices among around $300 billion in Chinese imports targeted for additional tariffs of up to 25 percent.

Dell Technologies Inc, HP Inc, Intel Corp and Microsoft Corp, which according to market research firm IDC account for 52 percent of notebooks and detachable tablets sold in the US, said the proposed tariffs would add a burden to cost-conscious domestic businesses and consumers, including the US government.