Cook back as Macron digital tax plan flops

France wants a tax agreement on tech giants by end of year

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JDenmark, Sweden and Finland are worried about going it alone in a global market. Germany fears retaliation against its car industry. And Ireland isn’t even engaging in debate on the tax, France says. A spokesman for the Irish Finance Ministry says they are engaging in the talks, but they have concerns about the French proposal.

While Macron entertains the Apple CEO, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire will be on a lobbying mission at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. He’s aiming to mobilise EU public opinion and put pressure on those resisting the commission’s plans, French officials say. European voters won’t understand why European tax loopholes let US tech giants pay lower tax rates than smaller home-grown companies, Le Maire says.

In the heart of Paris, Cook will likely be invited to invest more in what Macron has called the “scale up nation.”

Bloomberg Giuseppe Conte, Italy’s prime minister in his office in Rome yesterday. Conte insisted his government has no ‘Plan B’ to change its budget, despite responses of the EU and investors.