France eyes 'Google Tax' for French websites

Oct 29, 2012
France eyes 'Google Tax' for French websites Enlarge
Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, second from right, arrives at the Elysee Palace for a meeting with French President Francois Hollande, in Paris, Monday Oct. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

(AP)—French President Francois Hollande is considering a pushing for a new tax that would see search engines such as Google have to pay each time they use content from French media.

Hollande discussed the topic with , executive chairman of Google, during a meeting in Paris on Monday.

Hollande says the rapid expansion of the digital economy means that tax laws need to be updated to reward French media content.

has opposed the plan and threatened to bar French websites from its search results if the tax is imposed.

Germany is considering a similar law, and Italian editors have also indicated they would favor such a plan.

Explore further: Google chief to meet French president amid pay row

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User comments : 7

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SincerelyTwo
3.7 / 5 (3) Oct 29, 2012
Google drops all their content from the search results, everyone losses, lesson learned: these countries are extremely stupid.
kochevnik
1 / 5 (2) Oct 29, 2012
France couldn't even get a martyr for their revolution. They outsourced to Joan of Arc, who was Serbian.
ekim
3 / 5 (2) Oct 29, 2012
Google France today - Links to French Tourism and Government websites.
Google France tomorrow - Links to Simpsons videos about "cheese eating surrender monkeys".

I fail to see how effectively removing France from the largest search engine on the planet benefits France. Other websites will step in, from other countries, to fill the void and define France as they see fit.
Squirrel
3 / 5 (2) Oct 30, 2012
Best possible way to kill the France language and France influence.
tadchem
not rated yet Oct 30, 2012
And so the French lead the galloping charge towards 'Unintended Consequences.'
Google's likely response would be to de-emphasize French websites rather than pay the tax. This would seriously reduce traffic to these web sites - especially the commercial ones - which would reduce revenues to French businesses from ALL sources (foreign and domestic) - which would reduce taxes paid to France by these websites - which would not be good for the French government.

Insert finger in trigger guard; insert toe in shotgun muzzle; squeeze trigger.
Congratulations! You have just shot yourself in the foot!
hb_
1 / 5 (1) Oct 30, 2012
How stupid and french! My golly, don't the french ever get over the fact that they have lost the search-engine race?

Recently, a lower court in France slapped a fine on google for supplying free map service, despite the fact that this enables google to make a profit through advertising. So, unlike all other countries where there are numerous free map services - some better than googles - the average "francois" has to pay for something that could be free.

Now, the french are at it again...

I think it would be more efficient if the french would try to become better at IT than to try to win through political manouvering. Let's just hope that they will not strong arm the rest of EU into adopting laws that support this stupidity.
GaryB
not rated yet Nov 04, 2012
France couldn't even get a martyr for their revolution. They outsourced to Joan of Arc, who was Serbian.


It was quite taxing for her too.

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