European Parliament backs US global minimum tax proposal by AFP Staff Writers Brussels (AFP) April 29, 2021 The European Parliament on Thursday welcomed a US proposal to introduce a 21 percent global minimum tax on corporations but said Europe should "go it alone" if the effort fails. "Outdated international tax rules need to be overhauled, including a minimum effective corporate tax rate," a statement said after the non-binding resolution was passed with a big majority. The US proposal is intended to stop what Washington calls a "race to the bottom" among countries to see who can offer the lowest rate and would unwind a historic rate cut in the US under former president Donald Trump. Crucially, it would not only affect US tech giants such as Google and Facebook, but also non-digital big businesses such as LVMH or Volkswagen, which are European. In Europe the idea is backed by France and Germany, but is facing questions among smaller EU member states whose economies depend on keeping taxes low to attract big companies. "We have a moral responsibility to ensure that digital multinationals will contribute their fair share, just like all other companies and citizens," said Czech MEP Martin Hlavacek, who introduced the resolution. The MEPs enthusiastically backed negotiations underway at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to agree on the minimum tax, but insisted that the EU should propose its own version for Europe that targeted big tech if no breakthrough is reached this year. But EU-wide tax policy requires unanimity by the bloc's 27 members states and earlier attempts for a digital tax were shot down by Ireland, which is the low-tax home for Google, Facebook and Apple in Europe. arp/del/spm
Asian markets lifted by upbeat Fed, strong results Hong Kong (AFP) April 29, 2021 Asian markets rallied Thursday as traders welcomed blockbuster earnings from Wall Street titans, and after the Federal Reserve painted a rosy picture of the US economic outlook, repeating a pledge to stick to its guns with an ultra-low monetary policy. Traders were also keeping an eye on Joe Biden's first address to Congress as he laid out another huge spending plan aimed at helping American families and paid for with taxes on the wealthy. After a shaky couple of weeks on trading floors, equitie ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |