Germany and France have united on a joint plan to get more tax money from Airbnb and other companies that do business in the countries, but pay little in tax. They expect to have the details ready by mid-September when they will meet with the European Commission.
Airbnb, Amazon, Google and Facebook are among the companies targeted; they all have their European headquarters in Ireland, which has a low corporate tax rate. As a result, according to French newspaper Le Monde, Airbnb was used last year by over 10 million people in France, but paid less than €100,000 in taxes.
French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told Parliament “These digital platforms make tens of millions in sales and the French Treasury gets a few tens of thousands,” adding that this was “unacceptable.”Airbnb has the right to operate in France. But we have the right to demand from Airbnb and all the other digital platforms a fair contribution to the French treasury.”
