FFH5 Premium Member join:2002-03-03 Tavistock NJ |
FFH5
Premium Member
2013-Jan-21 9:15 am
Just the usual French attack on US companiesFrance has been fighting this war against US multinationals for some time. The primary tool against US tech companies has been monopoly lawsuits. The main victim there was Microsoft, and Intel also in the sights of French/EU regulators. They tried that tactic against Google, and still are, but so far Google has beaten back the monopoly attacks. They then tried privacy regulation as the next tactic against Microsoft, Apple, Google, etc. That battle is still ongoing. The tax the collection of privacy data is just a corollary of the privacy attack. But let's not forget that all of the above is just more of the economic warfare France and the EU had waged against US multinationals for many years. | |
|
| ArrayListDevOps Premium Member join:2005-03-19 Mullica Hill, NJ |
Re: Just the usual French attack on US companiesWhy the hell should France not be able to tax what they want to tax? That is a right of any government. | |
|
| | FFH5 Premium Member join:2002-03-03 Tavistock NJ |
FFH5
Premium Member
2013-Jan-21 9:31 am
Re: Just the usual French attack on US companiessaid by ArrayList:Why the hell should France not be able to tax what they want to tax? That is a right of any government. But as signatories to international WTO trade agreements and also to bilateral trade agreements with the US, certain actions are out of bounds. Can they do it anyway, sure. But then they open up themselves to sanctions on trade and import duties against their own companies - like huge import taxes on wines, clothing companies, etc. | |
|
| | | ArrayListDevOps Premium Member join:2005-03-19 Mullica Hill, NJ |
Re: Just the usual French attack on US companiesno complaints here. | |
|
| | |
to ArrayList
Because France is part of the EU, and thus GOOG "recognizes" a vast sum of their earnings back to the UK where is pays much lower taxes. Notice how GOOG is buying a $1b plot of land in the UK to build their EU HQ. Interestingly enough they are doing that SO they don't have to repatriate the earnings back to the US and pay US taxes on it. It's all a shell game.... Blame it on the EU, not GOOG. They are just playing the game. France is trying to create a toll booth before exiting France, which is actually a great way to break up the harmonious EU which is supposed to be borderless While I agree that if revenue comes from France should be taxed as such, laws are made up by lobbyists so for every loser there is always a winner, and it is never fair. Get used to it when the government intervenes. | |
|
| |
to FFH5
Perhaps GOOG should buy out the French gov't..they have the money to don't they? | |
|
| | ArrayListDevOps Premium Member join:2005-03-19 Mullica Hill, NJ |
Re: Just the usual French attack on US companiesI don't think you can literally buy a government. | |
|
| | | DataDocMy avatar looks like me, if I was 2D. Premium Member join:2000-05-14 Hedgesville, WV |
DataDoc
Premium Member
2013-Jan-21 10:43 am
Re: Just the usual French attack on US companiessaid by ArrayList:I don't think you can literally buy a government. ROFLMAO! | |
|
| | | djm61Change? HAH join:2001-06-20 Simi Valley, CA |
to ArrayList
Have you looked an Congress lately? | |
|
| | | | ArrayListDevOps Premium Member join:2005-03-19 Mullica Hill, NJ |
Re: Just the usual French attack on US companieswho in their right mind would want to own Congress? | |
|
|
Mr Matt
Member
2013-Jan-21 10:47 am
Google should block all access from French ISP'sGoogle should block all access from French ISP's and then watch the feces hit the impeller. | |
|
skeechanAi Otsukaholic Premium Member join:2012-01-26 AA169|170 |
skeechan
Premium Member
2013-Jan-21 10:59 am
That is their prerogative ...If Google doesn't like it, they don't have to do business there. If enough business leaves, they will change their ways. | |
|
| cdruGo Colts MVM join:2003-05-14 Fort Wayne, IN |
cdru
MVM
2013-Jan-21 11:57 am
Re: That is their prerogative ...said by skeechan:If Google doesn't like it, they don't have to do business there. If enough business leaves, they will change their ways. While that is Google's prerogative, they won't leave. It's better to make less money and pay some tax, then to make no money and pay no tax. And the only way that they would pull out completely is if the cost of doing business exceeded the revenues making it economically impossible. Ultimately, any taxes or levies on service are going to get passed on to advertisers or users of other services. If France wants to charge say 5% on Google's adword revenues then expect to see advertising to change by a similar amount, either rates go up, impressions go down, or whatever. | |
|
| | skeechanAi Otsukaholic Premium Member join:2012-01-26 AA169|170 |
skeechan
Premium Member
2013-Jan-21 12:07 pm
Re: That is their prerogative ...No, what they do is not have a physical presence in the country and refuse to pay any taxes in France. French companies would still buy their services. | |
|
| | | cdruGo Colts MVM join:2003-05-14 Fort Wayne, IN |
cdru
MVM
2013-Jan-21 12:22 pm
Re: That is their prerogative ...said by skeechan:No, what they do is not have a physical presence in the country and refuse to pay any taxes in France. French companies would still buy their services. Except in many cases, I'm sure that Google would find it even harder to conduct significant business in many countries without a physical presence there. Don't forget that Google is much more than just a search engine. Also, the EU has been trying recently to close up international tax shelters due to favorable taxing laws. It also wouldn't surprise me that if Google did try to just "leave the country" but still try to operate services within the country that corporate life could be made quite difficult by the government of France (or any other country for that matter). | |
|
| | | | skeechanAi Otsukaholic Premium Member join:2012-01-26 AA169|170 |
skeechan
Premium Member
2013-Jan-21 12:29 pm
Re: That is their prerogative ...There is little in the world more portable that money. Google would have little problem conducting their French business from another EU country with a much lower tax rate such as Liechtenstein. | |
|
| | | | | cdruGo Colts MVM join:2003-05-14 Fort Wayne, IN |
cdru
MVM
2013-Jan-21 1:09 pm
Re: That is their prerogative ...said by skeechan:There is little in the world more portable that money. Google would have little problem conducting their French business from another EU country with a much lower tax rate such as Liechtenstein. If they would have no problem doing it, and it would be cheaper to do so, why aren't they doing it now already? There's a reason why Google has physical offices in nearly every EU country. Google is not going to leave France. France has too large of a population and too large of an economy to just try and find loopholes around their tax code. | |
|
| | | | | | skeechanAi Otsukaholic Premium Member join:2012-01-26 AA169|170 |
skeechan
Premium Member
2013-Jan-21 1:51 pm
Re: That is their prerogative ...The taxes hadn't gone up. When it goes up, they'll move money as they already do.
Population is irrelevant. They are not a grocery store; no retail operations. They have no reason to stay in France if taxes go up. They can conduct business in France without being in France.
You think Google can't "outsource"? Of course they can and will. They aren't going to stand by and watch a French tax smash and grab. They will make them an example so that other EU nations don't try and follow suit. | |
|
|
badrouter11
Anon
2013-Jan-21 11:14 am
french govtWhat is that old saying? The squeaky wheel gets the grease? This is the french politicians way of advertising for a bribe. They will shut up and go away when they get their bribe just like in america. | |
|
David Premium Member join:2002-05-30 Granite City, IL |
David
Premium Member
2013-Jan-21 5:46 pm
I think this would piss the following people off• google • facebook • twitter • Any other social media sites | |
|
|
|