France will push ahead with its own tax on large internet and technology companies by introducing a bill that would be retroactive to January 1, its finance minister said Sunday.

The move comes as the European Union tries to finalise an EU-wide levy.

"We are working on a tax that would affect internet service companies with global sales of more than 750 million euros ($850 million) and 25 million euros in France," Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told the weekly newspaper Journal du Dimanche.

"If these two criteria are not met, they (the taxes) will not be imposed," he noted.

A draft bill would be presented to the government by the end of February "and rapidly put before parliament for a vote," Le Maire said.

"The tax would apply as of January 1, 2019 and its rate would vary according to the level of sales, with a maximum of five percent," a level that would represent "around 500 million euros" annually for France, he added.

Paris has been driving hard for a so-called "GAFA tax" -- named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon -- to ensure the global internet giants pay a fair share of taxes on their huge business operations in Europe.

Le Maire called the question "a major issue in the 21st century."

He said that a Europe-wide agreement was also possible by late March, in light of a compromise reached in December with Germany, which has been less enthusiastic about such a levy.

A spokesman for Facebook France told AFP: "We will continue to respect our fiscal obligations as defined by French and European legislation."

Google France declined to comment on Le Maire's remarks.

bur-sw-tq-etb/wai/rlp

Facebook

AMAZON.COM

APPLE INC.

GOOGLE

Related Links
Satellite-based Internet technologies

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Apple's Tim Cook calls for privacy bill with right to delete data
Washington (AFP) Jan 17, 2019
Apple chief executive Tim Cook called on US lawmakers Thursday to pass privacy legislation enabling consumers to see and delete their harvested online personal data from a central clearinghouse. Cook, writing in Time magazine, offered his view as the US Congress was set to consider tougher enforcement of privacy and data protection for online platforms. Several lawmakers and activist organizations have proposed data privacy measures, some of which contain elements of the European Union's sweepin ... read more