Australia Plans Tax On Big Tech For Newsrooms
Australia Plans Tax On Big Tech For Newsrooms
Australia has proposed new legislation to make major digital platforms such as Meta, Google and TikTok pay for local journalism. The move is aimed at supporting newsrooms and ensuring that technology companies contribute to the media content distributed or accessed through their platforms.
Australia Big Tech News Tax Proposal
The Australian government has released draft legislation under a proposed News Bargaining Incentive. The plan would impose a 2.25 percent levy on local revenue of major digital platforms if they fail to strike commercial deals with news publishers.
The proposal is expected to apply to large platforms with significant search or social media operations and annual Australian revenue above A$250 million. The government estimates the measure could raise around A$200 million to A$250 million annually for journalism.
Meta Google TikTok Under Scrutiny
Meta, Google and TikTok are among the companies expected to be covered by the proposal. The measure is designed to encourage platforms to negotiate directly with media companies instead of relying on government-led payments.
Meta and Google have criticised the proposal, arguing that it unfairly targets digital platforms. TikTok has not issued a detailed public response.
Australia Newsrooms Funding Plan
The funds raised under the proposal would be directed towards Australian news organisations. Distribution is expected to consider newsroom employment, with greater weight likely given to companies employing more journalists.
The move follows Australia’s 2021 News Media Bargaining Code, which had earlier pushed major tech firms to sign payment deals with publishers. However, some of those arrangements weakened after platforms began withdrawing from agreements.
