Italy joins other EU big guns in upping web tax drive (2)

(ANSA) - Brussels, September 26 - Italy, France, Germany and Spain have signed a joint document renewing calls for the European Union to introduce a system to raise more tax from Internet giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon. The document has been released three days before the summit at Tallinn, where the heads of State and government will discuss a 'web tax'. The digital economy has "profoundly" changed the way to do business and "the way in which it must be taxed" the document said. As a result "a profound revision of the current taxation system" is needed to ensure it is "efficient, fair and transparent". Rome, Berlin and Madrid have backed and French proposal to tax the Internet companies revenues instead of their profits. Estonia, which holds the EU duty presidency, is proposing taxing internet companies in the EU states where they make their profits, not at their tax residence.