Widespread public support for tax on tech giants - Hoofdinhoud

While Minister of Finance across Europe are still fighting among each other about taxing tech companies that use loopholes to avoid paying tax, a study in six EU countries shows strong and broad support for a tax on tech giants. More than 75 per cent of all citizen in Denmark, Sweden, France, The Netherlands, Germany and Austria (strongly) agree with introducing a fair tax on tech companies. Moreover, voters across Europe are also in favour of a more ambitious tax than EU-ministers are contemplating as a majority of voters favour to include tech giants (like Amazon and Netflix), even if the United States raises objections.

Governments and parliaments in Europe seem to be out of touch with their voters: this broad public opinion on taxing the high-tech free riders is at odds with the position of governments in Denmark and Sweden and parliament in the Netherlands. Basically, European voters want their governments to ignore the objections from the United States and would like to include the ‘Digital Tech-Tax’ as soon as possible, instead of waiting for an international solution, as for example the German government has proposed.

In a large scale study by research institute Kieskompas (Election Compass) in six European countries (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden), voters were asked to provide their opinion on the introduction of a European digital tax (DST), as well as their attitudes towards multinationals and tech giants. Today the first results on opinions on the digital tax are made available; a broader study on voter opinions on taxation will be released later.

“The results are crystal clear. People from all political persuasions are united in their wish to finally let the tech giants pay their fair share and to introduce a digital tax immediately. Some countries and their ministers of Finance must rethink their reluctance. It is a defining moment for Europe and tax justice” says MEP Paul Tang

Read the report here