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US launches inquiry into French plan to tax tech giants

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Re: US launches inquiry into French plan to tax tech giants

#91
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So... Spotify and Microsoft are one single industry? That's an interesting definition, buddy. And don;t forget that only the French sourced revenue is taxed.

Might not be the same industry per say but the sources of revenue overlap. Facebook and Amazon are obviously different services, they both make insane amount of money through ads, most of which escape taxes. The law is directed to companies fitting these criteria: - advertisement (Alibaba, Amazon, Apple, Ebay, Google, Groupon, Rakuten, Schibsted, Wish, Zalando.) - sale of personal data (Amadeus, Axel Springer, Bookin…

I'm always amused about myself regarding my stance on these things. On the one hand I am totally supporting the closure of these loop holes because they are unfair and put ultimately an exaggerated tax load on the working population. Not a goid thing when we are still stuck with a system that provides less work for people due to automation but still relies on taxing work and salaries. On the other hand I cannot blame companies profiting from them. And it is not just tech giants, every major European corp. is dojng the exact same thing. And if, as an example, grocery chains are not following Amazon's model of just providing services to a selling entity based in a third country I consider that to be their fault. To be honest I have a plan to use Estonia and the Netherlands in something similar if it comes to fruition. Would I fight to keep the loop holes open? No, because I prefer a level playing field. Would I refuse to profit from them as long as they are there in a legal way? Absolutely not, why would I give up an advantage, a legal one non the less, if I don't have to.

And I think the impact isn't even that big for the "abusers". I have the impression that this kind of company is so optimized and thinking in a way that once the tax advantage goes they will still be much more competitive than companies currently not profiting from said loop holes.

Re: US launches inquiry into French plan to tax tech giants

#92
post #85
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol at 'American wine is better'. It sure feels nice to pay $17 for a much-touted fancy bottle that turns out to be meh at best when in the States. Meanwhile you could just pick anything at random for like 3€ in any French or Italian grocery store and still get something decent. I probably didn't try everything the land of the free has to offer but this offside remark really makes me wonder what is considered good th…

By no means am I a wine connoisseur, but having just returned from France with a bevy of wine snobs who enjoy French wine (and were hoping for their success) -- this theory, as tested, did not hold true. I purchased a handful of cheapo bottles (in the 3-8 euro range) from Franprix as a surprise to my wine-loving friends, hid the bottles from them and prepared blind tastings for them, only to discover that they regard…

> Perhaps Franprix is a bad place to buy wines?

In Paris yes it’s a bad place but in the producing regions they can have a nice local selection.

> $3 wine in France is universally regarded as 'decent' is not one I can vouch for.

You are right, even higher priced wines are hit or miss. Choosing wine in France is very complicated, compared to the US where price is a good taste indicator. But you can definitely find very good $3-5 bottles in France.

Re: US launches inquiry into French plan to tax tech giants

#93
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For reference, French wine in France can be had for 3 or 4 euros a 75 cl bottle. That's for good wine. There are cheaper wines available of course. If you're saying $20, you must be talking about a 6 pack ;)

> For reference, French wine in France can be had for 3 or 4 euros a 75 cl bottle. This legend about french cheap wine is getting better and better everytime I hear it. 3-4€ is the low price for wine in a bottle. Some are decent, some are utter shit. But that's not "for good wine". That's entry level, which sometimes is decent. I know some of the export wine is cooking-grade shit and people don't know the difference.…

I don't know how it is in a WallMart in the US but in a French Carrefour there can be a 20 meter long aisle dedicated to wines and spirituous, possibly both sides of the aisle.

That's a huge selection covering all types of wine for as little as a few euros. Price is not a predictor of anything, there are both good and bad wines all over the place.

Wine is truly a commodity in France. There are very few people paying 10€ a bottle unless you're talking Champagne, that's not considered a wine.

edit: See for yourself https://www.carrefour.fr/r/boissons-et-cave-a-vins/cave-a-vi...

Re: US launches inquiry into French plan to tax tech giants

#94
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> For reference, French wine in France can be had for 3 or 4 euros a 75 cl bottle. This legend about french cheap wine is getting better and better everytime I hear it. 3-4€ is the low price for wine in a bottle. Some are decent, some are utter shit. But that's not "for good wine". That's entry level, which sometimes is decent. I know some of the export wine is cooking-grade shit and people don't know the difference.…

I don't know how it is in a WallMart in the US but in a French Carrefour there can be a 20 meter long aisle dedicated to wines and spirituous, possibly both sides of the aisle. That's a huge selection covering all types of wine for as little as a few euros. Price is not a predictor of anything, there are both good and bad wines all over the place. Wine is truly a commodity in France. There are very few people paying…

I am french. I know the supermarkets, and still I frequently buy bottles above 10€. My demographic is not small, there are just many people that can't afford storage space for bottles and don't want to buy entry-level wine.

Re: US launches inquiry into French plan to tax tech giants

#95

Quite funny of the US to complain about protectionism. I guess that's the paradox attached to it. When you do it it's fine, when someone else does it and you're affected, suddenly it's "discriminatory". Well yeah it's always been discriminatory in nature. They make a profit somewhere, they pay their taxes, period. Those loopholes need to be closed.

> They make a profit somewhere, they pay their taxes, period.

So, if I — as a danish citizen — make money from someone in France, I should pay taxes to both the Danish and French government?

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