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No matter how the law is written, if the result is that the exceptions only apply to French companies and not to the US, it’s bullshit :). They could pick arbi
by aey 7y ago
No matter how the law is written, if the result is that the exceptions only apply to French companies and not to the US, it’s bullshit :).
They could pick arbitrary ways to bisect the set until they get the desired result.
- dfxm12 7y agoThat's not the case. Per the article: About 30 companies will pay it - mostly US groups such as Alphabet, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft. Chinese, German, Spanish and British firms are also affected, as well as the French online advertising firm Criteo.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- jorge-d 7y agoWho said it was only targeting US companies? 26 companies fall under the required threshold. Not all of them are US based and there's even a French one (criteo). Here is the full list [1]: • Sales of goods: Alibaba, Amazon, Apple, Ebay, Google, Groupon, Rakuten, Schibsted, Wish, Zalando. • Services: Amadeus, Axel Springer, Booking, Expedia, Match.com, Randstad, Recruit, Sabre, Travelport Worldwide, Tripadvisor, Uber. • Advertisement: Amazon, Criteo, Ebay, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Verizon. [1] http://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2019/03/20/20002-20190320ARTFIG00213-la-taxe-gafa-concerne-26-entreprises-en-france.php http://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2019/03/20/20002-20190320...
- mises 7y agoMost of those are still American businesses (twenty of twenty-nine, or over two-thirds). Another interesting way to look at it would be by revenue breakdown - I suspect the total revenue of American companies may be disproportionately high.
- romwell 7y agoYeah right, who'd even notice Alibaba? FYI, Alibaba's revenue (~56B) exceeds that of Ebay (~10B), Uber (~11B), Expedia (~11b), Twitter (~3b), Groupon (~3v) and Tripadvisor (~2b) combined. Yes, Amazon/Apple/Microsoft/Google/Verizon are still huge. But it doesn't mean there aren't other big fish out there.
- eeeeeeeeeeeee 7y agoWell, let’s compare tax rates the foreign companies pay with the local French companies. Something tells me that the American companies are making out like bandits compared to the French ones that have to pay all local taxes. I see this as as an attempt to equalize the competitive playing field. This is just another example of Americans (and hey, I’m American) feeling they are permitted to do whatever they want, even outside of their own borders. It’s peak arrogance.
- Allower 7y agoWait Sabre is a real company?
- liberte82 7y agoWhy? Is only the US allowed to practice protectionism?
- ziddoap 7y agoVery salient point. It's funny that the US is allowed to tariff anyone who breathes at them wrong under the guise of protecting US jobs/etc. but they are up in arms when another country decides to implement anything remotely seen as "against the US".
- weber111 7y agoPlease don't confuse the US with our government! (or, rather, with the subset of people in our government who happen to be talking at a given time---there are many levelheaded, effective people working in our government who never enter the spotlight)
- ziddoap 7y agoI try to avoid painting with a broad brush wherever possible, but I was also trying to be sufficiently succinct. There is, of course, good to be found within the US government. Although, to an outsider, it feels like one has to look much harder to find that good now adays.
- jtx22 7y agoNo, China is the protectionism King.