The counter-productive effects of the tax GAFA

According to government estimates, the tax GAFA was to bring in 500 million euros. Las, the study Figaro impact of the bill on the creation of a tax on digita

The counter-productive effects of the tax GAFA

According to government estimates, the tax GAFA was to bring in 500 million euros. Las, the study

Figaro

impact of the bill on the creation of a tax on digital services, and changing the direction of decrease of the corporate tax, we learn that this new tax is expected to bring in better than $ 400 million in 2019, $ 450 million in 2020 and exceed 500 million (€550 million) in 2021. This tax could even bring much less. This is what had already happened with the tax on the yachts of which the revenue had been valued at 10 million euros... for a collection final 100/000 euros.

" READ ALSO - "Tax Gafa": the United States threaten France, of a retort

where does the tax GAFA? As a reminder, the France and Germany presented to the eu Commission proposals for two directives: one establishing the rules for the taxation of companies with a digital presence significantly, and the other concerning the common system of tax on digital services applicable to the products derived from the supply of certain digital services. But due to the lack of consensus within the Council, France has decided to go it alone and create a tax GAFA national, waiting for an agreement in european (or even wider within the OECD, with the United States) can tax the giants of the digital world.

banks could be caught up

The proposed French tax on the GAFA is designed with a trigger according to a double ceiling: 25 million euros of turnover in France and 750 million euros of turnover digital on the global plan. Its scope is deliberately limited: the companies and services affected by the tax are made up as the activity of intermediation between users and the provision of services of ad targeting. The legislator thought that the other digital services can be apprehended by means of fiscal tools, more traditional and are therefore excluded from the scope of the tax. But be careful, however, says the Council of State: in its opinion on the draft law, it states that "it cannot give in the state have a favorable opinion to the general exclusion from the scope of the tax intermediation services constituting regulated financial services provided by financial service providers chartered." The French banks are likely to be offset by the tax GAFA!

" READ ALSO - When the OECD holds its general debate on taxation of the digital

Failing to touch only the GAFA, the fee will not be less than 26 players, according to the firm TAJ, in the areas of the squares of the market of goods and services, and digital advertising. A broad spectrum that could touch the "digitization" of the physical economy traditional and harm the potential growth rate (IEM), not to mention a new front in trade war with the United States. Not being aware of it might lead to counter-productive effects not desired in the longer term.

The real danger is that a tax is not properly adjusted or imposed on setbacks can weigh upon the ability of our national players to be able to catch up their delays in the matter and to reach more quickly to a critical size allowing the global market to remain open ("questionable" in competition law), and not oligopolistic.

Sweden says no

Sweden was not deceived, whereas its levels of taxation and spending are particularly high. On the one hand, its opposition is the importance of the digital sector for the country (it has seen the emergence of several "unicorns" to more than a billion euros in turnover in a few years) ; it does not have to get a ball in the foot. Moreover, she knows like all the scandinavian countries as a tax base on revenue is a bit of a crapshoot because the country is small and its domestic market is narrow. Gold tax in France to 3% will apply on the amount of activities located in France.

What about the conclusion? We find ourselves again facing a new tax on the production which can create a disincentive for our future unicorns to grow and bring in less than expected. With this approach, France is still a vision for the tax system as punitive, not an incentive. Hence our score of 4/10.

Figaro

The Macronomètre, the observatory of reforms in the government, is a site of the Fondation iFRAP in partnership with The Figaro.fr. It is a tool dedicated to the assessment of the quinquennium of Emmanuel Macron: econometric evaluation in relation to its electoral programme and announcements of his government. With The Macronomètre, the action of the government is to be marked out of 10 each Wednesday prior to the council of ministers and becomes readable in a single glance. The Macronomètre allows each to make a notice on the holding or not of the promises of the president of the Republic and on the effectiveness of the reforms of the government.

Date Of Update: 28 March 2019, 00:00
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