Germany not backing off plan to increase Apple taxes

Posted:
in General Discussion edited September 2018
The country's finance ministry denied a report that it's dropped its support for an European Commission plan to collect more taxes on Apple and other Internet giants.

The European Parliament


According to Reuters, the office of German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has denied a previous report that Scholz has given up on plans to raise taxes on Apple, Google, and other large tech companies.

"There has been no decision made yet by the minister or the ministry on one or more instruments," a spokesperson said, according to the news service.

The Bild newspaper had reported that Scholz was backing away from the plan because "demonization" of such firms was "not productive." That report was based on internal documents, but the spokesperson for the ministry said they were "very selectively" cited, as one of many options.

"The debate is still ongoing, also among the finance ministers of Europe and the G7/G20 countries. The Federal Government still aims to ensure a fair taxation of internet companies," the spokesperson added.

The European Union, in which German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds a de facto leadership position, has pushed a plan that would require companies of a certain size to pay taxes all over the E.U. territory, rather than only in the country in which they are regionally headquartered. It would target companies with annual revenues over a level that Apple, Google and Amazon would most certainly meet.

Scholz's SDP party, which is part of a ruling coalition with Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, ran in the last national elections in favor of increased taxation on large Internet firms.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    Saure Gurkenzeit? Oder warum wird m nichts viel Wind gemacht?
    sphericdasanman69
  • Reply 2 of 13
    JanNLJanNL Posts: 327member
    Grimzahn said:
    Saure Gurkenzeit? Oder warum wird m nichts viel Wind gemacht?
    Nice, deutsch...
  • Reply 3 of 13
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    "Sour pickles..."
     but I don't understand the second sentence. 
  • Reply 4 of 13
    It's going to be interesting to see how this issue of taxation will weave into the trade wars that Trump is unleashing…
  • Reply 5 of 13
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    gatorguy said:
    "Sour pickles..."
     but I don't understand the second sentence. 
    Seems to be an ad for Gas-X. ;)
    JWSC
  • Reply 6 of 13
    foljsfoljs Posts: 390member
    Of course Germany doesn't back down. It's Ireland that's going to lose from Apple leaving its EU headquarters there, not Germany.

    Like in all of the 20th century, Germany only cares about itself and its profit...
    cybertopianJanNL
  • Reply 7 of 13
    JWSCJWSC Posts: 1,203member

    Good policy or not (and I suspect not), the bureaucrats are entitled to raise taxes on large internet companies and spread the tax wealth around as they see fit.  It’s all about EU integration, the perception of fairness, and a little socialistic ‘soak the rich’ thrown in for good measure.

    But it doesn’t matter to Apple because one way or another the good citizens of the EU will end up paying more taxes as Apple will pass the bill along to the unwitting euro-consumer.

    dasanman69
  • Reply 8 of 13
    gatorguy said:
    "Sour pickles..."
     but I don't understand the second sentence. 

    Just an expression meaning to exagerate or overstate the gravity of the Problem/Situation.

    But I doubt the guy is german, because I never heard the term "Saure Gurkenzeit?"

  • Reply 9 of 13
    Grimzahn said:
    Saure Gurkenzeit? Oder warum wird m nichts viel Wind gemacht?

    Also "saure Gurkenzeit" hab ich nie gehört!
  • Reply 10 of 13
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,544member
    Carnage said:
    gatorguy said:
    "Sour pickles..."
     but I don't understand the second sentence. 

    Just an expression meaning to exagerate or overstate the gravity of the Problem/Situation.

    But I doubt the guy is german, because I never heard the term "Saure Gurkenzeit?"

    Really? 

    “Saure Gurkenzeit” means something like “sour times” in English—a time when resources are tight and you’re reduced to living off pickled cucumbers. 

    It’s a common expression. 

    It just doesn’t make sense if you’re asking why there is so much ado about nothing... 

    I think the poster meant the “Sommerloch” — the summer slump in the news season that forces news outlets to fill their formats with blown-up bullshit. 
  • Reply 11 of 13
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,544member
    Carnage said:
    Grimzahn said:
    Saure Gurkenzeit? Oder warum wird m nichts viel Wind gemacht?

    Also "saure Gurkenzeit" hab ich nie gehört!
     Bildungslücke. 
  • Reply 12 of 13
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Big countries can get away with things that little countries can't, simply because they have such a big market that foreign companies will be willing to jump through hoops to get access.

    If Germany institutes these taxes they will probably get away with it, just as the US with its huge economy can get away with tariffs, or the worst example (in terms of what they make foreign companies do) China. Look at all the compromises Silicon Valley companies are willing to make to do business there, including giving away their data and intellectual property.
  • Reply 13 of 13
    spheric said:
    Carnage said:
    Grimzahn said:
    Saure Gurkenzeit? Oder warum wird m nichts viel Wind gemacht?

    Also "saure Gurkenzeit" hab ich nie gehört!
     Bildungslücke. 

    Kann man so nennen :)
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