Latest news with #DieWelt
eNCA
3 days ago
- Business
- eNCA
Germany considers 10% tax on internet giants
Germany is weighing plans for a 10 percent digital tax for internet giants such as Alphabet and Meta, a senior official said Friday, despite the risk of stoking further trade tensions with the United States. "This is a question of tax justice," parliamentary state secretary in the digital ministry Philip Amthor told Die Welt newspaper. "Large digital corporations in particular are cleverly engaging in tax avoidance" while German businesses are "treated with no mercy, everything is taxed." "A fairer system must be created here so that this tax avoidance is addressed," he said about the plan to tax advertising revenue from platforms such as Meta's Instagram and Facebook. Germany's media and culture commissioner Wolfram Weimer said earlier the government was drafting a proposal for such a digital tax but would first invite Google and other big tech companies for talks. Weimer -- the former editor of Die Welt and other media -- on Thursday told Stern magazine that "the large American digital platforms like Alphabet/Google, Meta and others are on my agenda". He said he had "invited Google management and key industry representatives to meetings at the chancellery to examine alternatives, including possible voluntary commitments". "At the same time, we are preparing a concrete legislative proposal," Weimer added. This could be based on the model in Austria, which has a five percent tax, he said, adding that in Germany "we consider a 10 percent tax rate to be moderate and legitimate". He said that "monopoly-like structures have emerged that not only restrict competition but also over-concentrate media power. This puts media diversity at risk". "On the other hand, corporations in Germany are doing billion-dollar business with very high margins and have profited enormously from our country's media and cultural output as well as its infrastructure. "But they hardly pay any taxes, invest too little, and give far too little back to society."
Local Germany
3 days ago
- Business
- Local Germany
'Tax justice': Germany considers 10 percent levy on internet giants
"This is a question of tax justice," parliamentary state secretary in the digital ministry Philip Amthor told Die Welt newspaper. "Large digital corporations in particular are cleverly engaging in tax avoidance" while German businesses are "treated with no mercy, everything is taxed." "A fairer system must be created here so that this tax avoidance is addressed," he said about the plan to tax advertising revenue from platforms such as Meta's Instagram and Facebook. Germany's media and culture commissioner Wolfram Weimer said earlier the government was drafting a proposal for such a digital tax but would first invite Google and other big tech companies for talks. Weimer -- the former editor of Die Welt and other media -- on Thursday told Stern magazine that "the large American digital platforms like Alphabet/Google, Meta and others are on my agenda". He said he had "invited Google management and key industry representatives to meetings at the chancellery to examine alternatives, including possible voluntary commitments". Advertisement "At the same time, we are preparing a concrete legislative proposal," Weimer added. This could be based on the model in Austria, which has a five percent tax, he said, adding that in Germany "we consider a 10 percent tax rate to be moderate and legitimate". He said that "monopoly-like structures have emerged that not only restrict competition but also over-concentrate media power. This puts media diversity at risk". "On the other hand, corporations in Germany are doing billion-dollar business with very high margins and have profited enormously from our country's media and cultural output as well as its infrastructure. "But they hardly pay any taxes, invest too little, and give far too little back to society." Weimer stressed that "something has to change now. Germany is becoming alarmingly dependent on the American technological infrastructure."
France 24
3 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Germany considers 10% tax on internet giants
"This is a question of tax justice," parliamentary state secretary in the digital ministry Philip Amthor told Die Welt newspaper. "Large digital corporations in particular are cleverly engaging in tax avoidance" while German businesses are "treated with no mercy, everything is taxed." "A fairer system must be created here so that this tax avoidance is addressed," he said about the plan to tax advertising revenue from platforms such as Meta's Instagram and Facebook. Germany's media and culture commissioner Wolfram Weimer said earlier the government was drafting a proposal for such a digital tax but would first invite Google and other big tech companies for talks. Weimer -- the former editor of Die Welt and other media -- on Thursday told Stern magazine that "the large American digital platforms like Alphabet/Google, Meta and others are on my agenda". He said he had "invited Google management and key industry representatives to meetings at the chancellery to examine alternatives, including possible voluntary commitments". "At the same time, we are preparing a concrete legislative proposal," Weimer added. This could be based on the model in Austria, which has a five percent tax, he said, adding that in Germany "we consider a 10 percent tax rate to be moderate and legitimate". He said that "monopoly-like structures have emerged that not only restrict competition but also over-concentrate media power. This puts media diversity at risk". "On the other hand, corporations in Germany are doing billion-dollar business with very high margins and have profited enormously from our country's media and cultural output as well as its infrastructure. "But they hardly pay any taxes, invest too little, and give far too little back to society." Weimer stressed that "something has to change now. Germany is becoming alarmingly dependent on the American technological infrastructure."
Canada Standard
23-05-2025
- Business
- Canada Standard
Most Germans would like to leave country poll
Migration and economic issues were the most commonly cited reasons, according to a YouGov survey More than half of Germans would consider moving abroad, Die Welt has reported, citing a new survey by YouGov. Respondents pointed to migration and economic challenges as the main reasons for wanting to leave the country. According to the poll, 31% of those surveyed said they would "definitely" move abroad if they were entirely free to choose, without constraints related to work, personal life, or finances. Another 27% said they would "probably" leave. In contrast, 22% responded "probably not," and 15% said they would "definitely not" consider relocating. Among those who said they could generally or potentially imagine moving abroad, 36% noted that the thought of leaving Germany had crossed their minds more frequently in recent months. Within this group, 61% identified the country's immigrant situation as a major factor. In addition, 41% cited Germany's ongoing recession as a reason to consider emigration. Political concerns were also reflected in the responses, with 29% pointing to the rise of the right-wing AfD party and 22% mentioning the perceived military threat from Russia. Twelve percent of respondents expressed concern over a possible decline in US protection of Europe due to Donald Trump's presidency, while 36% cited "other reasons" for wanting to leave. According to the survey, respondents who would consider emigration most frequently named other German-speaking countries as preferred destinations. Switzerland topped the list with 30%, followed by Austria at 23%. Spain (22%) and Canada (17%) were also among the most popular choices. Germany remains the only G7 country to record no economic growth over the past two years, making economic recovery a key focus for the new government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The International Monetary Fund projects that Germany will continue to lag behind its G7 peers in 2025, with expected growth of just 0.1%. Despite its economic slowdown, Germany remains the EU's leading destination for asylum seekers. In 2024, the country received over 237,000 applications - more than a quarter of all claims filed across the bloc's 27 member states. Earlier this month, Berlin implemented stricter border controls to curb the number of asylum seekers entering the country, reversing the open-border policy adopted by Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015. (
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Merz backs bigger role for Italy in Europe's Ukraine efforts
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Saturday that he is in favour of Italy's closer involvement in European efforts to end the war in Ukraine. After a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, Merz said: "We agreed that Italy must play a role here." He added that he would hold talks with other European partners on the matter in the coming days. "We must not allow ourselves to be divided in the European Union. There are no first or second-class members," the new chancellor said. Meloni's recent absence from a visit to Kiev by the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Poland and Germany had caused irritation in Italy. According to media reports, Meloni did not attend at the insistence of French President Emmanuel Macron. After the meeting with Merz, Meloni said - without naming names - that now might be the time to "set aside personal sensitivities that threaten to undermine the vital and fundamental unity of the West." Merz described Italy, which has been ruled by a right-wing coalition since 2022, as an "indispensable strategic partner." Ahead of Merz's visit to Rome, a report by the German conservative daily Die Welt caused a stir, stating that Italy, unlike France and Poland, was deliberately not explicitly mentioned as a strategically important partner country in the German government's coalition agreement. This was reportedly at the insistence of Merz's coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Leading Italian politicians, including Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, expressed outrage at the report. "The reports about this are all false," Merz emphasized after the meeting, adding that there was "no contentious discussion at any time about Italy's role in the European Union" among the coalition partners' chief negotiators. The visit marked Merz's first trip to Italy since taking office. He is in Rome to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV on Sunday.
