The European Commission has proposed that the 3% tax would be levied on companies which make ‘significant revenues’ from online services in EU countries. For Apple, this would include things like iTunes sales, Apple Music and Apple Pay commissions.
Germany had previously been ambivalent about the proposal, but Reuters reports on a suggestion that the finance ministry was now actively opposing it.
Reuters says that the ministry denies that it has reached any conclusion on the matter.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire is putting pressure on Germany to make a decision, warning that voters will be unimpressed unless they act.
The finance ministry spokesman said the newspaper had “very selectively” cited from an internal document in which officials had simply summarized various models and proposals.
“Such reports are common practice to inform the head of the ministry,” the spokesman said, adding that Scholz was still weighing his options.
Apple has always stated that it pays all the tax it owes in each of the countries in which it operates, though it does base its European operations in Ireland, where the government offered it a very low taxation rate. Ireland was later found to have acted illegally, and Apple is repaying €13B ($15B) in back-taxes pending an appeal.
“If we are incapable of re-establishing a fair tax system, of taxing the digital giants, we will pay for it at the ballot box,” Maire said.
Photo: MesseFrankfurt
