France eyes 'Google Tax' for French websites

Published October 22, 2015

Oct. 29, 2012: Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, second from right, arrives at the Elysee Palace for a meeting with French President Francois Hollande, in Paris. (AP)

French President Francois Hollande is considering a pushing for a new tax that would see search engines such as Google have to pay each time they use content from French media.

Hollande discussed the topic with Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, during a meeting in Paris on Monday.

Hollande says the rapid expansion of the digital economy means that tax laws need to be updated to reward French media content.

Google has opposed the plan and threatened to bar French websites from its search results if the tax is imposed.

Germany is considering a similar law, and Italian editors have also indicated they would favor such a plan.

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