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Four EU Countries Seek Higher Taxes On Google and Amazon (reuters.com)

An anonymous reader quotes Reuters: France, Germany, Italy and Spain want digital multinationals like Amazon and Google to be taxed in Europe based on their revenues, rather than only profits as now, their finance ministers said in a joint letter. France is leading a push to clamp down on the taxation of such companies, but has found support from other countries also frustrated at the low tax they receive under current international rules. Currently such companies are often taxed on profits booked by subsidiaries in low-tax countries like Ireland even though the revenue originated from other EU countries. "We should no longer accept that these companies do business in Europe while paying minimal amounts of tax to our treasuries," the four ministers wrote in a letter seen by Reuters.

4 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Those profits are taxed in the US by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1, Informative

    They aren't taxed in the US. They avoid taxes everywhere.

    Anyway, the EU has a right to collect taxes on business done in the EU. If the US taxes that business as well then Google needs to take it up with the US government.

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  2. Re:Those profits are taxed in the US by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The most ironic thing is that the US taxman actually goes after american citizens that live outside the US for purposes of collecting taxes. It's the only country (with Ethiopia if I'm not mistaken) to do that. But it doesn't go after American companies that stash money outside the US and that should pay the taxes in their own damn country.

  3. Re:Taxing revenue may actually be the best thing by fluffernutter · · Score: 3, Informative

    It gets passed on to customers as higher prices

    You're ignoring a little thing called 'the market' that may or may not allow them to rise prices. They can't rise prices if they can't sell enough stuff at those prices.

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  4. Re: EU Countries Seek Higher Taxes On by Ambassador+Kosh · · Score: 4, Informative

    I am in Germany right now and your statement is complete and utter bullshit. You can say almost anything you want in Germany. You can't do Nazi things for historical reasons but people do talk about it without any problems at all. People can and do criticize islam along with pretty much everything else. Of course if you criticize an entire religion you should not expect many people to agree with you or continue to provide a platform for your speech.

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