City
Epaper

After France, Italy approves digital tax on tech giants

By IANS | Updated: December 25, 2019 17:35 IST

Following the footsteps of France, Italy has approved a new tax to be levied on large tech companies, a move that is likely to put more strains on the country's relations with the US, the media reported.

Open in App

Passed this week by Italy's Parliament, the new tax will come into force on January 1, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The tax is similar to the one France implemented earlier this year which has attracted severe criticism from the US.

The digital tax approved by Italy's Parliament will impose a three per cent levy on some digital revenue for technology companies that make over $831 million in global revenue, including least $6 million in Italy.

According to a report in The Epoch Times, dozens of countries are working on proposals to change corporate tax schemes to capture money from tech firms that have users across the world, such as Facebook and Google's parent company Alphabet.

In a recent letter to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a think-tank of rich economies, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that there were concerns about a proposal put forward by some countries.

The US "firmly opposes digital services taxes because they have a discriminatory impact on US-based businesses and are inconsistent with the architecture of current international tax rules, which seek to tax net income rather than gross revenues," Mnuchin wrote.

US President Donald Trump's administration earlier also condemned France's tax.

France's digital services tax "discriminates against US companies, is inconsistent with prevailing principles of international tax policy, and is unusually burdensome for affected US companies," US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer said on December 2.

"USTR's decision today sends a clear signal that the United States will take action against digital tax regimes that discriminate or otherwise impose undue burdens on US companies," Lighthizer said.

"Indeed, USTR is exploring whether to open Section 301 (of the Trade Act of 1974) investigations into the digital services taxes of Austria, Italy, and Turkey. The USTR is focused on countering the growing protectionism of EU member states, which unfairly targets US companies, whether through digital services taxes or other efforts that target leading US digital services companies," Lighthizer said.

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 provides the US with the authority to enforce trade agreements, resolve trade disputes, and open foreign markets to US goods and services.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: usItalyRobert LighthizerUstrSteven Mnuchin
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalIndian-Origin Man Beheaded In US In Front Of Family After Violent Dispute

BusinessAnil Ambani’s Reliance Power and Reliance Infra Shares Zoom Even as Indian Markets Tumble Amid US Tariffs

InternationalMissouri House Blast: 5 Injured After Huge Explosion Damages 20 Homes in St Louis County

InternationalHurricane Erin Enters Into Category 2 Storm With Maximum Winds of 100 mph, Heavy Rainfall Over Caribbean Islands Likely

InternationalIowa Shooting: Two Killed, One Injured In Firing and Blast in Glenwood; Suspect Arrested

टेकमेनिया Realted Stories

TechnologyScientists just found strongest signs of life on Mars yet: Study

TechnologyCentre launches adoption awareness campaign for children with special needs

TechnologyRBI MPC keeps rates steady, raises GDP projection, trims inflation forecast

TechnologyGST revenues up 9.1 pc at Rs 1.89 lakh crore in Sep

TechnologyDPIIT, Thermo Fisher Scientific tie up to boost India’s biotech startup ecosystem