<p class="title">France's agriculture minister on Tuesday slammed US President Donald Trump's argument behind threatened tariffs on French wines as "absurd" and "stupid", as a row between Paris and Washington over taxing tech giants intensified.</p>.<p class="bodytext">France drew an angry response from Trump when it became the first major economy to impose a tax on digital giants earlier this month.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The GAFA tax -- an acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon -- aims to plug a fiscal loophole that has seen some internet heavyweights pay next to nothing in countries where they make huge profits.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The US president blasted the reform and pledged to retaliate with "substantial reciprocal action on (French President Emmanuel) Macron's foolishness" in a tweet last week.</p>.<p class="bodytext">When asked if French wine could be a target, Trump replied: "Might be on wine or something else."</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I've always said American wine is better than French wine!" added the US president, who insists he is a teetotaller, in a none too subtle threat of tariffs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's absurd, as a political and economic debate, to say 'you're taxing the GAFAs, so we're going to tax your wine'. It's completely stupid," French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume told French TV channel BFM.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He also argued that "American wine is not better than French wine".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We're taxing the GAFAs simply because they make huge profits of millions or billions of euros or dollars while employing French workers. There's no reason they shouldn't pay their taxes".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This is the third time the US president has threatened a tax, the third time in a year. We'll see if he goes through with it," added Guillaume.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The minister's comments came after French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire tried to defuse tensions with the US, pledging to reach a deal on taxing tech firms by the end of the G7 summit in late August.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There is no desire to specifically target American companies," Le Maire said Saturday, as the three-per cent tax would hit all of the world's largest tech firms who generate revenues from French consumers, including Chinese and European ones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">France has said it would withdraw the tax if an international agreement was reached, and Paris hopes to include all OECD countries by the end of 2020.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Le Maire had earlier this month hosted G7 finance ministers, including US counterpart Steven Mnuchin, for talks outside Paris. Le Maire said at the time a major agreement was reached in the tax conflict but Mnuchin cautioned there was more work to be done. </p>
<p class="title">France's agriculture minister on Tuesday slammed US President Donald Trump's argument behind threatened tariffs on French wines as "absurd" and "stupid", as a row between Paris and Washington over taxing tech giants intensified.</p>.<p class="bodytext">France drew an angry response from Trump when it became the first major economy to impose a tax on digital giants earlier this month.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The GAFA tax -- an acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon -- aims to plug a fiscal loophole that has seen some internet heavyweights pay next to nothing in countries where they make huge profits.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The US president blasted the reform and pledged to retaliate with "substantial reciprocal action on (French President Emmanuel) Macron's foolishness" in a tweet last week.</p>.<p class="bodytext">When asked if French wine could be a target, Trump replied: "Might be on wine or something else."</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I've always said American wine is better than French wine!" added the US president, who insists he is a teetotaller, in a none too subtle threat of tariffs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's absurd, as a political and economic debate, to say 'you're taxing the GAFAs, so we're going to tax your wine'. It's completely stupid," French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume told French TV channel BFM.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He also argued that "American wine is not better than French wine".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We're taxing the GAFAs simply because they make huge profits of millions or billions of euros or dollars while employing French workers. There's no reason they shouldn't pay their taxes".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This is the third time the US president has threatened a tax, the third time in a year. We'll see if he goes through with it," added Guillaume.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The minister's comments came after French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire tried to defuse tensions with the US, pledging to reach a deal on taxing tech firms by the end of the G7 summit in late August.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There is no desire to specifically target American companies," Le Maire said Saturday, as the three-per cent tax would hit all of the world's largest tech firms who generate revenues from French consumers, including Chinese and European ones.</p>.<p class="bodytext">France has said it would withdraw the tax if an international agreement was reached, and Paris hopes to include all OECD countries by the end of 2020.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Le Maire had earlier this month hosted G7 finance ministers, including US counterpart Steven Mnuchin, for talks outside Paris. Le Maire said at the time a major agreement was reached in the tax conflict but Mnuchin cautioned there was more work to be done. </p>