: France is set to unveil legislation Wednesday to increase taxes on global internet giants such as Google and Facebook, putting it among a vanguard of countries seeking to force the companies to pay more in the markets where they operate.
Under a proposal set to be discussed by cabinet ministers and submitted to parliament, large companies operating in France would face a tax of 3% on their digital sales in the country. In one of the most best known cases, the European Commission concluded that Apple had paid an effective corporate tax rate of just 0.005% on its European profits in 2014 — equivalent to just €50 for every million.
For Le Maire, taxing the companies “is a question of fiscal justice” as “digital giants pay 14% less tax than small- and medium-sized European companies”. Paris says it is seeking “common ground” on the issue with fellow members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development , a group of the world’s advanced economies.Britain, Spain and Italy are also working on national versions of a new digital tax, while Japan, Singapore and India are planning schemes of their own.