The finance ministers of France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom have already responded to the threatening letter from the United States Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin for the so-called Google Tax and refuse to suspend talks at the OECD and the fiscal project. .

As confirmed by official sources in the French Ministry of Economy, the joint response has already been sent, replying that the four countries want "a fair tax on the technological giants" agreed in the OECD "as quickly as possible" and urge them to resume "as soon as possible." negotiations in this international organization.

Mnuchin sent a letter to the four ministers, including the head of the Treasury, María Jesús Montero, affirming that in the midst of the pandemic, there was no point in holding negotiations on this matter and that they did not rush to apply the rate unilaterally, because there would be US retaliation. by harming companies in your country.

"This letter from Mnuchin is a provocation," said French Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday. "What is that way of treating the allies by constantly threatening sanctions against Italians, British, Spanish or us?" Le Maire has confirmed, according to statements provided by his Ministry, that "whatever happens there will be a tax on digital services in France in 2020" and stresses that precisely in this pandemic "the technological giants are probably the only ones that have extracted great benefits in this crisis". "It is a matter of justice. They do not pay taxes in the countries where they operate," he said.

Official sources from the Ministry of Finance ratified this newspaper last Wednesday that, despite the letter received from Mnuchin, Montero maintained his intention to continue with the new tax for which he hopes to collect 968 million annually.

The US attitude has outraged the main European countries, because Washington urged them first not to apply anything until negotiating a new tax in the OECD and now it tells them that it suspends the negotiations for not being opportune in the pandemic.

The Google Rate has generated rejection in the affected companies, in the country of origin of these and also in the ecosystem of digital companies, since even startups believe that they will end up indirectly affected, a cost that could also reach the consumer as Amazon has secured in France.

With the Tax on Certain Digital Services (IDSD), the Government intended to raise 1,200 million euros, but that figure has already been lowered to 968 million, a figure that in any case would coincide with the most optimistic estimates made by the Independent Responsibility Authority. Prosecutor (AIReF).

There are few certainties that the tax gives today, as it is discussed as a global tax in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), but some countries have come forward with unilateral decisions to apply it. France, one of the pioneering nations, initially put the brakes on the view that US investigations could lead to tariffs on French products. The investigations are already directed also at the Spanish case, an examination of whether the 'Google tax' can lead to "inadmissible or discriminatory" behavior that "burdens or restricts US trade."

The tax, which is aimed at large technology companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon or Netflix, aims to tax 3% of income (not profits) on companies that exceed 750 million euros in global turnover and 3 million in Spain.

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