The European Parliament is calling for a tax on digital giants, but the Commission refuses to deviate from the multilateral process underway at the OECD. Yet this process is paralyzed: by demanding tougher treatment for digital companies than for other multinationals, the Europeans have offended the United States. A strategy that is now backfiring on the Union. The debate on taxing digital giants in Europe is turning into an obsession. For a decade, European institutions have been repeating that global platforms must « pay their fair share » where they create value. Yet behind this rhetoric, concrete progress has been slow in coming, and the gap between stated determination and real impotence is widening. In this debate, the European Parliament embodies impatience. Last June, MEPs questioned the Commission: why is nothing moving forward at the OECD? Should we finally take the initiative, reopen the 2018 European proposals, or introduce a common digital tax? Elected representatives fear that GAFAMs will continue…
