End the Abuse of Technology

Published in El Mundo
(Spain) on 22 December 2019
by Editorial (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Lincoln Schick. Edited by Elizabeth Cosgriff.
The so-called new economy, based on the spectacular technological developments that have taken place over the past two decades due to globalization, remains unaccompanied by appropriate regulations, especially with regard to taxes. As a result, technology giants are taking advantage of current legal loopholes and complex tax engineering to pay much less in taxes than they should, as measured by their enormous profits. Part of this is caused by the use of tax havens, of course, but also by the Trump administration's support for these huge American tech companies, an unfair practice according to world trade rules. To date, the internet giants have paid $100 billion less than their share in taxes over the last decade.

It is urgent that we put an end to this scandalous situation once and for all. In the European Union, the lack of consensus is preventing progress in tax harmonization, which is greatly damaging many countries' public coffers. Hence, France has already unilaterally approved the Google tax, and in Spain, Pedro Sánchez has also backed it. In Google's case, the company is also continuing to abuse its domination of advertising, so Paris just imposed a fine of $168 million, adding to an endless string of sanctions in Europe. The internet cannot be a jungle ungoverned by the rules of competition.


La llamada nueva economía, basada en los espectaculares desarrollos tecnológicos que se han producido en las últimas dos décadas e impulsada por la globalización, sigue sin estar acompañada de una regulación acorde, en especial en terrenos como el fiscal. Y, así, los gigantes tecnológicos se aprovechan de los vacíos legales existentes y de complejas ingenierías tributarias para pagar muchos menos impuestos de los que les corresponden en virtud de sus enormes beneficios. Se sirven de paraísos fiscales, por supuesto, pero también del apoyo que por ejemplo la Administración de Trump presta a las grandes tecnológicas estadounidenses, una práctica desleal con las reglas del comercio mundial. Como hoy publicamos, los gigantes de internet han pagado en impuestos 90.000 millones de euros menos de los que les correspondía en la última década.

Urge poner coto de una vez a esta situación tan escandalosa. En la UE, la falta de unanimidad impide avanzar en la armonización fiscal y eso perjudica mucho a las arcas públicas de muchos países. De ahí que Francia ya haya aprobado unilateralmente la tasa Google -en España Sánchez también la ha anunciado-. En el caso de Google sigue abusando, además, de poder dominante en la publicidad, por lo que París le acaba de imponer una multa de 150 millones de euros, que se suma a una ristra interminable de sanciones en Europa. Internet no puede ser una selva en la que no rijan las reglas de la competencia.
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