U.S. pullout from digital tax talks a "provocation" - France

Washington's decision to pull out of negotiations on a digital services tax is a "provocation" and Paris will apply such a levy this year despite U.S. objections, France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday.

Le Maire said France, Britain, Italy, and Spain had jointly responded on Thursday to a letter from U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announcing Washington's decision to withdraw from negotiations on the planned taxes.

"This letter is a provocation. It's a provocation towards all the partners at the OECD when we were centimeters away from a deal on the taxation of digital giants," Le Maire said on France Inter radio.