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France abandons effort to tax Google

June 24, 2011

Last year France began exploring ways to tax Google and other big online advertising companies. That effort is now dead.

Follow-up friday icon The New York Times reported last week that French President Nicolas Sarkozy's party has withdrawn legislation seeking to impose a 1 percent tax on online advertising expenditures in the country.

The measure had been introduced because of concerns that foreign Internet companies pay little or no tax on their earnings in France.

Although the proposal had been dubbed the Google tax, it actually would have had little effect on the company because it sells advertising aimed at French users through its subsidiary in Ireland, where tax rates are lower.

A full Follow-up Friday: It's been a busy week of new information related to previous posts, so instead of crowding them all into one item, I'm posting several Follow-up Friday pieces.

Next up, professional golfer Retief Goosen as tax guinea pig.

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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