Washington

Threats to u.s. or not, France taxera the american giants Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, who have gathered under the name Gafa. The Parliament adopted Thursday the draft law on the "creation of a tax on digital services" whereas, on the previous evening, the White House has announced the launch of an investigation on the effects of this French project. "The United States is very concerned by the fact that the tax on digital services is intended unfairly to the american companies," said the Trade representative, Bob Lighthizer.

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Bruno The Mayor responded by pounding that Paris and Washington had to settle their disputes around the taxation of the giants of the digital by "agreements rather than threats." To the minister of the Economy, the tax Gafa French should be "an incentive" for Americans "to accelerate the work on an international solution for the taxation of the digital scale of the OECD". He hopes to discuss at the next G7 Finance, which is expected to Chantilly in a few days.

The 3% tax on the turnover made in France is based on a proposal of the european Commission. Brussels believes that companies in the digital sector, which are establishing their subsidiaries in countries where tax rates are very low, have an effective tax rate two times lower than the traditional businesses. A european tax is unlikely to see the light of day because of the opposition of several members, but other countries of the EU project, however, to adopt a "tax Gafa". This is the case of Italy, where a law has been passed and is awaiting the implementation decrees, of the united kingdom, which introduced on Thursday a bill for a tax of 2 %.

The French tax, retroactive to January 1, is expected to bring in 400 million euros this year. It is aimed at companies who offer online advertising, the sale of goods or activities of intermediation platform, and who perform more than 750 million euros of turnover in the world, including 25 million on the French soil. According to the firm legal and tax Taj, 26 companies, mostly american but also european, including the French Criteo, meet these criteria.

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This is not the first time that section 301 of the trade laws, u.s., 1974 used since the arrival of Donald Trump at the White House. China and also the european Union, accused for example of unfair competition in the trade of automobiles, there have already been faced with. The use of this procedure gives Bob Lighthizer, a year or more to determine if this "tax Gafa" is "discriminatory or unreasonable and interferes with or restricts the trading in the United States". At the end of an investigation that usually lasts several months, but the conclusions of which are often known in advance, the Administration evaluates the prejudice suffered by the american companies. Negotiations are expected to ensue in order to eliminate practices pinned. Otherwise, Washington imposes customs penalties proportional to the damages estimated. As often is the procedures, "301", the White House has the support of the Congress, especially elected democrats.

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Gafa : France can it regulate them ? - Look on Figaro Live

The timing of this case is particularly bad. The subjects of dispute with the United States are numerous and likely to divide the members of the european Union. Beyond the public support to civil aviation, for which the world trade Organization (WTO) could allow the United States to impose sanctions, in the coming negotiations on the products that the Administration Trump is considering taxing, are highly sensitive. The threats on the automobile concerned in particular Berlin. When Paris refuses to accept the idea pushed by Washington include agricultural products in trade negotiations between the EU and the United States. Washington wants especially as the taxation of Gafa to be treated in a multilateral framework under the aegis of the OECD.