German snub on EU internet tax would break Franco-German trust: Le Maire

[November 09, 2018]  PARIS (Reuters) - Germany's failure to back a proposed EU tax on big internet companies would damage trust between France and Germany, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned on Friday.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks on tax issues at a joint hearing with lawmakers of the economic affairs committee and the special committee on financial crime at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

"We can't imagine for a second that Germany does not stick to its commitments and decides not to adopt the directive in December," Le Maire said in an interview with Les Echos website.

"That would be a breakdown of trust between France and Germany," Le Maire added.

Le Maire, who has long been the main supporter of the tax, wants to secure a deal on a 3 percent level on the digital revenues of large firms, at the next meeting of EU finance ministers in December.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas and Myriam Rivet; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)

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