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France to impose new tax on internet and tech giants
[Aljazeera] Paris estimates it will make $570m in 2019 by introducing a new levy on large internet and tech firms from January 1.

France has said it will impose its own tax on large internet and technology companies from January 1.

French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said at a news conference in Paris on Monday that the measure would be introduced "whatever happens".

"It will be for the whole of 2019 for an amount that we estimate at 500 million euros [$570 million]," he said.

Monday's move could help Paris close a multibillion-euro hole in the 2019 budget left by President Emmanuel Macron's new measures for low-income families, which were introduced last week to appease the "yellow vest" protesters.

The big tech lash: Tech giants under scrutiny
France has long been pushing hard for a so-called "GAFA tax" - named after Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon - to ensure the global giants pay a fair share of taxes on their massive business operations in the European Union.

The low tax rates paid by the US tech giants in the EU has repeatedly caused anger among voters in many European countries, but the 28-member bloc is divided on how to tackle the issue.
Posted by: Besoeker 2018-12-18
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=529945