Search results for: tax
Airbnb doesn’t need to comply with regulations for real estate brokers, Europe’s top court rules
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that Airbnb is an online platform rather than a real estate broker, allowing the firm to avoid further local regulation across Europe, according to The Guardian. Cities around the world are increasingly seeking to regulate Airbnb, to address concern over its impact on local neighborhoods and housing markets. The […]
French antitrust watchdog fines Google €150m over unclear rules for its ad platform
France’s competition authority has issued a €150 million antitrust fine against Google for abusing its dominant position in the search advertising market, with opaque, unpredictable, and arbitrarily applied rules for its ad platform, according to Reuters. It’s the first fine issued by French antitrust authorities against Google, which is under heightened scrutiny in the rest of […]
German court ruling effectively bans Uber from operating in Germany
A Frankfurt court has effectively banned Uber’s ride-hailing service in Germany, according to Reuters, in yet another major setback for the company after losing its license to operate in London. In Germany and much of the European Union, Uber exclusively works with licensed drivers through private hire vehicle companies, to comply with a 2017 decision from the region’s […]
Regulators should prohibit cryptocurrencies like Libra, EU finance ministers say in joint statement
Digital “stablecoin” currencies like Facebook’s Libra project shouldn’t be permitted until regulators can assess and address the risks involved, according to a joint statement from Europe’s finance ministers. The statement solidifies past skepticism voiced by EU authorities, and likely amounts to a de facto ban on stablecoins—cryptocurrencies that, unlike bitcoin, are tied to an asset such as conventional currencies. […]
Richard Alden, entrepreneur: “We need to reform the last mile of parcel delivery”
This year’s Black Friday is expected to have garnered record sales in France—but it’s also sparked considerable controversy. Parisian mayor Anne Hidalgo indicated last week that she is moving towards taxing major firms like Amazon for the environmental impact of their deliveries, while on Black Friday itself, environmental demonstrators around the country protested against the […]
De La Rue’s Bid to Return to Circulation
De La Rue, the British firm which has printed roughly a third of all banknotes currently in circulation, has recently come to be better known for its long list of scandals. Last year, the company was left red-faced after it was drastically underbid by European competitor Gemalto to produce UK passports; just months ago, the […]
Google will remove news previews from search results in France, to avoid paying publishers
Google has opted to no longer display excerpts of news articles from European publishers in its search results in France, in order to avoid paying the publishers, as required by new EU copyright rules, according to Politico. Article 15 of the EU’s copyright directive allows publishers to request payment from online platforms that display their content. […]
Uber is again denied a full license in London, granted only two-month extension
Uber has been granted a two-month extension to its provisional license in London, with an application for a full license rejected by authorities for the second time in as many years, according to The Guardian. Transport for London (TfL) first rejected Uber’s license renewal in September of 2017, saying it was not a “fit and proper” private […]
Macron announces €5 billion in funds to develop tech startups
President Emmanuel Macron announced last week that investors have pledged €5 billion to develop France’s fledgling, homegrown tech startups into larger companies. The government has already provided tax cuts and subsidies to assist startups, as well as a fast-track visa to attract foreign workers. But while Silicon Valley startups often see investment from venture capital […]
US lawmakers step up antitrust inquiry, demanding documents from tech giants
The House Judiciary Committee of the US Congress has called on tech companies to release a wide array of documents and emails relating to possible anticompetitive practices, escalating the federal government’s ongoing antitrust investigation into companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon. The requests were sent directly to executives like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, […]