French economy minister Bruno Le Maire has said major tech companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon will face new taxes from 1 January 2019. The tax on digital services is expected to raise €1bn (£860m) a year for the government in addition to an existing levy of just over €500m per year. The main issue is that a new tax model requires a unanimous vote — every European Union member country needs to vote for the reform. Although it was unclear how France would impose a levy, Le Maire said officials would examine revenues based on advertising, marketplace and from personal data.
French economy minister Bruno Le Maire has said major tech companies such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon will face new taxes from 1 January 2019. The tax on digital services is expected to raise €1bn (£860m) a year for the government in addition to an existing levy of just over €500m per year. Although it was unclear how France would impose a levy, Le Maire said officials would examine revenues based on advertising, marketplace and from personal data.