French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Monday that a European Union plan to tax big internet firms such as Google and Facebook was close to being struck, despite several EU governments having pushed back against the idea. “We are close to having a deal in our hands,” Le Maire told France Inter radio. He said he was confident the German government would help France reach an agreement with other member states. Last week Germany, which initially had backed the plan, urged some changes. France wants to strike a deal by December. Published in Daily Times, November 13th 2018.