Trump promises payback for French digital tax

President Donald Trump promised on Friday to retaliate against France for adopting a pioneering tax on internet giants such as Google, Amazon and Facebook.

He also managed to get in a shot at French wine. Trump, who doesn’t drink, tweeted: “I’ve always said American wine is better than French wine!”

The digital tax primarily targets companies that use consumer data to sell online advertising. The tax is designed to stop multinationals from avoiding taxes by setting up headquarters in low-tax EU countries. Currently, the companies pay nearly no tax in countries where they have significant sales.

Trump says that if anybody taxes American technology companies, it should be their home country. He adds, referring to French President Emmanuel Macron: “We will announce a substantial reciprocal action on Macron’s foolishness shortly.” Guatemala on their way to the United States to apply for protections in Guatemala instead of at the U.S. border.

It could potentially ease the crush of migrants overwhelming the U.S. immigration system and hand Trump a concession he could herald as a win. Detroit-area municipalities and water utilities that are concerned about the cost of replacing underground lead pipes.

Under the rules, lead service lines connecting water mains to houses and other buildings will be replaced by 2040, unless a utility can show regulators it will take longer.