It is in a quasi-deserted National Assembly that the new tax on the digital world giants was adopted by 55 votes to 4, with 5 abstentions. The text introduces what some people call "GAFAM tax" in reference to the giants of the American net (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft). It will not affect only American companies: thirty French companies, including Criteo, will also have to check out. This 3% tax targets companies whose revenues generated by their digital activities exceed 750 million dollars worldwide and 25 million euros in France.
The GAFAM tax has been adopted by the National Assembly
Bruno Le Maire, who has been defending this tax for several months, explains in the columns of 20 minutes that this result "is not unanimity, but it is not far". And think that "a lot of countries will follow". Because this is the whole issue of this tax that can really be effective in the long term if other countries decide to apply it. In addition, one of the criticisms of this tax is that it can potentially impact French companies. Others believe that it is symbolic, generating too little revenue - it should bring 400 million dollars in 2019. Or puts France in a position in which she goes it alone.
But as the Figaro recalls, this tax is precisely supposed to remedy, at least temporarily, the lack of coordinated taxation of digital giants in Europe and within OECD countries. The giants of the net manage to optimize their tax payments by minimizing their presence in the countries in which they operate, then by collecting most of the value via tax havens - or countries like the Ireland, whose tax services are very accommodating with these companies.
Remains to convince the France Partners
To prevent it, Bruno Le Maire tried to convince his European partners to apply this tax on the whole territory of the regional group. And also tries to convince the partners of France members of the OECD. But in Europe four European countries - Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland - still block the tax in the European Union. The rule being that of unanimity, to introduce this tax everywhere in the European Union is thus, for the moment, impossible.
But Bruno Le Maire does not disarm. As people are read on the site of Europe 1, he hopes to gradually rally "all developed countries". For this he seeks a common position to defend before the OECD. It also works in the Council of Ministers of the EU to replace the rule of unanimity with a rule of qualified majority for all questions of a fiscal nature. Which would have allowed, if it were already the case, to pass the text.
In France, the new tax - which is part of a longer text, all of whose provisions have not yet been adopted - should apply, we told you this year. The United States reacted the day before the vote to emphasize that the tax was "extremely discriminatory against US-based multinationals," as BFM Business reports. After threatening France with reprisals. Washington is now considering entering the WTO.
