France’s 'digital tax' would impose a 3% tax on companies with total annual revenues of $845 million worldwide. FRANCE ON THURSDAY passed a tax on the revenue of tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook, defying warnings from President Donald Trump that it unfairly targets U.S. firms. The 3% digital tax would apply to the French revenues generated by about 30 major companies – mostly from the U.S. – that provide digital services to or aimed at, French users. The tax applies to companies with total annual revenues of $845 million worldwide and $28 million in France. France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that digital data is valuable, yet the taxation of it is lower than that of other goods and services. Le Maire called it "unfair" and "inefficient." "With the taxation of digital services, we are building the taxation of the 21st century." Responding to the news of an American investigation, Le Maire stated that "France is a sovereign state. It decides sovereignly of its fiscal provisions."
Because we the only ones with big swinging dick companies while the French still export wine and cheese.
I think a huge tariff on French products, such as they exist, is appropriate. Europe cannot create by innovation so they must tax the innovation of others. Or Big Tech could just tell France to go pound sand and move their facilities out of France. Let French Big Tech users hit servers in other countries. If France doesn't like that I suppose they can block IPs. Just don't be a French company.
France wouldn't need to take this step if the European Union could agree on an aligned taxation policy for trans-national digital business. The EU can't agree on this, so France decides to take a first step themselves. It would not surprise me if other European nations follow suit, until most countries have something in place, followed by an European harmonization.