The next few days will be decisive for the tax digital desired by Emmanuel Macron. The French president and his economy minister, Bruno Le Maire, will they finally, after twelve months of lobbying, the need to achieve to overcome the reluctance of their european partners, starting with those of Berlin ?
Mr. Macron has made this new european tax on digital activity a priority policy in Brussels and intends to rely on to address the last line right before the european elections, in the spring of 2019.
But, in tax matters, unanimity is required in Council (the member States). However, to the extent that advance the campaign for the election of may 2019, the positions of the governments around the table become radicalized. Mr Macron hopes that the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, will give him some assurances, at their meeting, Friday, September 7, at Marseille.
The same goes for Bruno Le Maire, who is waiting for a positive signal of his alter ego, the social-democrat Olaf Scholz, Saturday, September 8, at a meeting of finance ministers of the european Union, in Vienna. Especially, after the revelations, Wednesday, September 5, the popular weekly Tabloid, which reported a confidential note from the German finance ministry claiming that it was a tax ” non-productive “.
A few reasons to be optimistic
The ministry has denied the abandonment of the project fee digital by Germany, Wednesday, without, however, promise anything in Paris. “No decision has yet been taken by the minister or the department,” assured a spokesman.
The Mayor summed up the issue, on the same day, on LCI : “It is necessary that in January 2019, we have decided on the topic. If we are not able to equalize the tax and tax the giants of the digital, we will pay at the polls. “
The minister continued his reasoning the next day, Thursday, September 6,…