19/10/2020 (Agence Europe) – The French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, confirmed, on Sunday 18 October on France 3, that his country will tax the digital giants starting in December, since no agreement at the OECD is expected in 2020 (see EUROPE 12579/21). “We had suspended collection of the tax until the OECD negotiations were concluded. This negotiation has failed, so we will collect a tax on the digital giants next December”, he said. Last January, Paris agreed to postpone to December 2020 the payment of the instalments due in April on the digital tax in France, while Washington agreed not to impose any trade sanctions against France during the same period (see EUROPE 12410/3). The French minister also expressed concern about the “American drift” and the “increasingly strong rupture” between the United States and Europe. (MF)