Deferment of 30% fee shows Google’s guilt: Paytm

MUMBAI: Paytm chief executive Vijay Shekhar Sharma said Google’s decision to defer the levy of a 30% commission from Indian businesses selling digital goods through Play Store apps was an “admission of guilt” by the US-based tech giant.Google last week said it would charge the commission on developers globally from September 2021.Sharma alleged that Google’s “arbitrary” enforcement and relaxation of crucial policy measures that would impact the fate of the entire Indian app ecosystem, without any regulatory consultations, proved that it exercised undue control over the businesses here. “The fact that they are now announcing this (deferment of 30% commission) shows that they know what they are guilty of,” the founder of the Noida-based fintech company told ET over a video call on Monday.“They are talking about taking billions of dollars from tech startups of this country,” he said, terming the commission that Google plans to charge as “Google Tax”. “It is a clear violation,” he said, adding: “How can someone other than the government announce a tax in this country and give businesses one year to comply?”

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3itK3OQ