4 ms·

French President Pushes For 'Google Tax'

25 points by miles 17y ago

b3mus3d 17y ago
I wonder what this means for smaller websites that also use advertising (I run a games site, for example)? I think this has the potential to grow into a very complicated situation if it works out for France and other countries follow suit.
- catch23 17y ago
  Seems like if you start making money off of people in France, you'd have to pay a tax.
  - thibaut_barrere 17y ago
    Well - we already do :)
dnsworks 17y ago
This makes sense. When economic transactions occur over practices that diminish the quality of life, they should be heavily taxed, like cigarettes or television.
zitterbewegung 17y ago
Just wait, google not available in your region unless you pay $4.95 per month
gaius 17y ago
Also see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1007048 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1007048 How can the French do this without falling foul of EU laws?
- dhs 17y ago
  It's not at all clear that they can. According to German news media (e.g. http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/0,1518,670897,00.html http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/0,1518,670897,00....), the European Commission doubts that Google's alleged "dangerous dominance of the market" is real, and says they will check whatever the French propose for legality. And a concrete proposal hasn't even been made - so far, it's all just some big talk.
- boulou 17y ago
  Can we all calm down and look objectively at the situation ? This may help : President Obama has thrown his weight behind a plan that could see foreign firms such as Chinese Global Internet Services being taxed for doing business in USA. Known as the Chinese Global Services Tax, the controversial proposals will force foreign Internet firms to pay a new tax on their online advertising revenue in USA.
  - hussong 17y ago
    Thanks for re-balancing the view. The big picture behind this is scary. If every nation starts taxing internet companies from every other nation for revenue generated off their own population (regardless if said company has a presence in that country), it'll slow down growth tremendously and kill a lot of business models.
Raphael_Amiard 17y ago
>The proposals are aimed at helping to save French creative industries from the 'free-for-all' Internet culture. Let them die please, they produce nothing worthy. Also i find it fun to see them speak of multi-million euros industries who have done more to kill creation than any other, like if they needed to be saved. This is so typical of our actual government in france. Actually protect the wealthy by pretending they're poor, and do nothing for people who actually needs help.
ilkhd2 17y ago
Such an idiotic claim: "stop enrichment of the world's leading internet players." Why not? I mean, if the would tax google, what, a new french service will pop up overnight? So odd...
- gaius 17y ago
  The French are still smarting over the irrelevance of Minitel to the wider world. You know, they were once the leading players in getting consumers to adopt network services. Now the world has passed them by.
  - thibaut_barrere 17y ago
    Just curious (really) - where do you see French smarting over the Minitel ? I'm French and around me (including friends who are living outside France) nobody seems to be bragging about the Minitel these days (maybe 10 years ago, but now, no really). We consider it mostly some outdated device that had its importance a long while back. Any links or feedback to provide ?
    - r00k 17y ago
      I think you may have misunderstood. "smarting over" is somewhat idiomatic English. It means to be embarrassed by something. In other words, you and the person you replied to seem to agree.
      - thibaut_barrere 17y ago
        Haah - thanks for the clarification.
        gaius 17y ago
        "Smart" also means, umm, "a stinging sensation" I guess. The physical manifestation of embarrassment, or the physical equivalent of the emotion of embarrassment. You might say, "ow, that smarts". I didn't realize it wouldn't translate :-)
Wiz 17y ago
Why the fuck so much pussies voted for Sarkozy ? He is trying to create an internet less free (free bear AND free speech) than real life. What an asshole. I can't remember how many times I wished someone would have killed him, rather than insulting him in public, medias or anything.
- dcurtis 17y ago
  Wow, I think you win. This is by far the worst comment I have ever seen on Hacker News.
  - hugh_ 17y ago
    Y'see, this is why I don't like the fact that comments can no longer go below -4.
    - lsb 17y ago
      On the reply page to a comment, there's a flag, so just flag it.
- xcombinator 17y ago
  Please, get out of this place.
- maigret 17y ago
  Ha! "Free bear", this is excellent
- lsb 17y ago
  To all who really dislike this comment: For all comments that should be flagged, click "link", and then you get that comment's page, with a flag link.
jswinghammer 17y ago
There should be a tax on every player in every industry other than the smallest player in this industry if this logic holds.
Xixi 17y ago
I'm trying to remember the last week a new tax was not introduced in France... I can't find, someone to help ? I might be a bit cynical, but the truth is that this has nothing to do with culture, the French internet, or anything similar: this has all to do with France abyssal debt and chronically unbalanced budgets (the last balanced budget was in the seventies...), and the need for the government to get more money. So why Google ? Because it's easy to explain citizens that you are going to tax a foreign company. Easier than telling them that they will have to pay yet another tax. And if it doesn't work because of the EU, the government will have someone else to blame for the need of a new tax on the French taxpayer... et voilà. This, or they are really stupid and think that taxing Google will somehow have a positive outcome on French economy. I don't think they are stupid.
dbz 17y ago
It would be funny if google responded by not allowing the French to use it's services. =] On the other hand. It's not a bad idea for America. If we taxed advertisements I /might/ see less of the ones I find annoying. And we could funnel that money into education or health care. Reducing the US' carbon footprint. Bleh. Lots of uses. But a tax that citizens aren't paying (in this context) is a great idea in my opinion.
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]

25 points by miles 17y ago

I wonder what this means for smaller websites that also use advertising (I run a games site, for example)? I think this has the potential to grow into a very complicated situation if it works out for France and other countries follow suit.

catch23 17y ago
Seems like if you start making money off of people in France, you'd have to pay a tax.
- thibaut_barrere 17y ago
  Well - we already do :)

dnsworks 17y ago

This makes sense. When economic transactions occur over practices that diminish the quality of life, they should be heavily taxed, like cigarettes or television.

zitterbewegung 17y ago

Just wait, google not available in your region unless you pay $4.95 per month

gaius 17y ago

Also see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1007048 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1007048 How can the French do this without falling foul of EU laws?

dhs 17y ago
It's not at all clear that they can. According to German news media (e.g. http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/0,1518,670897,00.html http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/netzpolitik/0,1518,670897,00....), the European Commission doubts that Google's alleged "dangerous dominance of the market" is real, and says they will check whatever the French propose for legality. And a concrete proposal hasn't even been made - so far, it's all just some big talk.
boulou 17y ago
Can we all calm down and look objectively at the situation ? This may help : President Obama has thrown his weight behind a plan that could see foreign firms such as Chinese Global Internet Services being taxed for doing business in USA. Known as the Chinese Global Services Tax, the controversial proposals will force foreign Internet firms to pay a new tax on their online advertising revenue in USA.
- hussong 17y ago
  Thanks for re-balancing the view. The big picture behind this is scary. If every nation starts taxing internet companies from every other nation for revenue generated off their own population (regardless if said company has a presence in that country), it'll slow down growth tremendously and kill a lot of business models.

Raphael_Amiard 17y ago

>The proposals are aimed at helping to save French creative industries from the 'free-for-all' Internet culture. Let them die please, they produce nothing worthy. Also i find it fun to see them speak of multi-million euros industries who have done more to kill creation than any other, like if they needed to be saved. This is so typical of our actual government in france. Actually protect the wealthy by pretending they're poor, and do nothing for people who actually needs help.

ilkhd2 17y ago

Such an idiotic claim: "stop enrichment of the world's leading internet players." Why not? I mean, if the would tax google, what, a new french service will pop up overnight? So odd...

gaius 17y ago
The French are still smarting over the irrelevance of Minitel to the wider world. You know, they were once the leading players in getting consumers to adopt network services. Now the world has passed them by.
- thibaut_barrere 17y ago
  Just curious (really) - where do you see French smarting over the Minitel ? I'm French and around me (including friends who are living outside France) nobody seems to be bragging about the Minitel these days (maybe 10 years ago, but now, no really). We consider it mostly some outdated device that had its importance a long while back. Any links or feedback to provide ?
  - r00k 17y ago
    I think you may have misunderstood. "smarting over" is somewhat idiomatic English. It means to be embarrassed by something. In other words, you and the person you replied to seem to agree.
    - thibaut_barrere 17y ago
      Haah - thanks for the clarification.
      - gaius 17y ago
        "Smart" also means, umm, "a stinging sensation" I guess. The physical manifestation of embarrassment, or the physical equivalent of the emotion of embarrassment. You might say, "ow, that smarts". I didn't realize it wouldn't translate :-)

Wiz 17y ago

Why the fuck so much pussies voted for Sarkozy ? He is trying to create an internet less free (free bear AND free speech) than real life. What an asshole. I can't remember how many times I wished someone would have killed him, rather than insulting him in public, medias or anything.

dcurtis 17y ago
Wow, I think you win. This is by far the worst comment I have ever seen on Hacker News.
- hugh_ 17y ago
  Y'see, this is why I don't like the fact that comments can no longer go below -4.
  - lsb 17y ago
    On the reply page to a comment, there's a flag, so just flag it.
xcombinator 17y ago
Please, get out of this place.
maigret 17y ago
Ha! "Free bear", this is excellent
lsb 17y ago
To all who really dislike this comment: For all comments that should be flagged, click "link", and then you get that comment's page, with a flag link.

jswinghammer 17y ago

There should be a tax on every player in every industry other than the smallest player in this industry if this logic holds.

Xixi 17y ago

I'm trying to remember the last week a new tax was not introduced in France... I can't find, someone to help ? I might be a bit cynical, but the truth is that this has nothing to do with culture, the French internet, or anything similar: this has all to do with France abyssal debt and chronically unbalanced budgets (the last balanced budget was in the seventies...), and the need for the government to get more money. So why Google ? Because it's easy to explain citizens that you are going to tax a foreign company. Easier than telling them that they will have to pay yet another tax. And if it doesn't work because of the EU, the government will have someone else to blame for the need of a new tax on the French taxpayer... et voilà. This, or they are really stupid and think that taxing Google will somehow have a positive outcome on French economy. I don't think they are stupid.

dbz 17y ago

It would be funny if google responded by not allowing the French to use it's services. =] On the other hand. It's not a bad idea for America. If we taxed advertisements I /might/ see less of the ones I find annoying. And we could funnel that money into education or health care. Reducing the US' carbon footprint. Bleh. Lots of uses. But a tax that citizens aren't paying (in this context) is a great idea in my opinion.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]