The digital tax in Germany could be about "DiePresse.com

Higher taxation of US Internet companies such as Apple and Amazon is a favorite SPD project in Germany – but according to a press report, the German Finance Ministry headed by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz raises considerable doubts.

is not effective, according to the newspaper "Bild" according to a confidential document of the management staff. Instead, focus on the measures against profit transfer. With stronger taxation, there are also fears of countermeasures for German companies in the United States.

Scholz spokesman however said Wednesday in Berlin: "the goal of fair taxation of Internet companies continues the German Ministry of Finance." Several models are currently under discussion.

At the beginning of his term, Scholz pointed out, with a view to negotiations at EU level and in the G-20 countries: "The international community must find answers to the challenges of digitization The economy Digital technology is one of them. "But more recently, in the department – also because of the trade conflict with the United States – skepticism has increased dramatically.

Especially the SPD party, but insists on a digital tax, because the tax evasion of the sense of justice The European Commission had proposed that with annual sales of 750 million euros and online sales of 50 million euros in Europe, it imposes an income tax of three percent.

but there was hardly any tax, while industrial enterprises with factories in other countries had to pay the corresponding taxes.

Austria said that taxation of the digital economy was one of the priorities of the Austrian EU Presidency. The Informal Council of Finance Ministers of the EU Member States, which is being held in Vienna on Friday and Saturday, deals, among other things, with the digital tax. Resolutions will not be taken at the informal meeting. Finance Minister, Hartwig Löger (ÖVP), was confident Wednesday in the newspaper of the ORF Radio that there was a common interest for fair taxation of the digital economy.

France for the tax "Gafa"

Within the EU, however, there are many disagreements concerning the digital tax. France insists on the so-called "Gafa tax" (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon). On the other hand, countries like Luxembourg, Ireland and Malta are much more hesitant. In argument, they often argue that Europe should not jump on the problem, but rather find an international solution at the level of the OECD. The organization has more than 30 member states, including the United States, and there seems to be little chance of reaching an agreement.

The president of the OFE, Clemens Fuest, pointed out that Earn taxes where products are sold. "They are taxable where they are developed and produced." With digital companies like Apple and Google developing their products and services in the United States, the right to tax their global profits is primarily in the United States. "Europe should be less speculating on new taxes on digital business models," Fuest said. It is much more important to promote digitization and to move forward the project of a single European market for the digital economy.

(APA / dpa)