Taxing time for global tech giants

The European Union’s tax plans for the big technology companies spells trouble for Ireland

"Digital or internet companies are paying several times less the effective corporate income tax rates than traditional companies,” said Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission vice president for financial services. Pic: Getty

Tax and technology giants is a hot topic in Brussels - and that’s not good news for Ireland.

While the government in Dublin insists it remains committed to the idea of tackling the thorny tax issue in a global way - through the OECD’s Beps process - French president Emmanuel Macron is leading the charge for an immediate short-term digital tax as a way of raising revenue from the likes of Apple, Google ...