EU Considers Taxing Google, Other US Internet Firms

The European Union is considering imposing a tax on US Internet companies such as Google as part of a new plan to build a single digital market across the region, EU digital chief Günther Oettinger said.

Oettinger that Europe is currently a “loser” in the information-technology sector but that the situation could be reversed with investment and by creating a level playing field for all digital companies. He stressed the importance of maintaining the region’s edge in the automotive sector, which looks set to be disrupted by Internet companies. “Taxing is an option but not the decided solution,” Oettinger said of the EU’s plan for a digital single market. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, is expected to announce the plans by May 2015. Asked whether Google might be taxed for showing copyright material, he said yes.