Germany is contemplating a ten p.c digital service tax on US tech giants

Below new Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Germany may impose a brand new 10 p.c tax on main on-line platforms corresponding to Google and Fb. reported that political factions within the nation struck a deal earlier this yr to pursue these charges for digital service corporations.

“These companies do billions in enterprise in Germany with extraordinarily excessive revenue margins and profit enormously from the nation’s media and cultural output in addition to its infrastructure — however they pay hardly any taxes, make investments too little, and provides far too little again to society,” Germany’s Tradition Minister Wolfram Weimer mentioned of the draft rule throughout an interview with the journal Stern.

Different nations world wide have additionally explored and enacted taxes on on-line income generated by the biggest web tech corporations. Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Turkey, India, Austria and Canada have related laws to the draft rule Germany’s tradition minister is proposing, in accordance with Reuters.

If the tax is handed, Germany may see retaliation from President Donald Trump‘s administration. Trump had mentioned in February that he would search on nations that impose a digital service tax on US tech companies.