After global big tech tax fails, France looks to EU for help

Apple Store Opera in Paris

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) represents a global push for digital tax reform surrounding tech giants. However, the tax reform named Pillar One has encountered numerous roadblocks.

According to a report from Bloomberg, French Finance Minister Le Maire claims that the US, Saudi Arabia, and India have blocked the OECD's proposed tax deal. This has led to the Finance Minister calling on the EU to take charge.

"We'll call for the situation on Pillar One to be unblocked, but the chances of success are slim," Le Maire said Monday. "This calls for a digital tax to be extended to a European level as soon as possible."

Talks of a digital tax have been going in some form or another since 2018. France wanted to tax Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon to close loopholes used by the companies, but it was ultimately put off during trade negotiations with the US in 2020.

Then, the OECD announced a new global tax initiative backed by 137 governments. This international agreement has been through the wringer and ultimately was blocked, as the French Finance Minister pointed out.

It isn't clear if the EU will act on France's pleas, though it seems eager to regulate big tech in any way it can. France could also reawaken its digital tax push that was postponed in 2020 in favor of the OECD deal — though not without opposition from the US.