It's Time for Google, Facebook, and Their Pals to Pony Up, Say German Citizens
A significant number of federal residents express support for a tax on digital services. - Most Germans support the imposition of a digital tax.
Written by Helmut BroegApprox. 1 Min Read
Betcha thought nothin' could ruffle the feathers of internet behemoths like Google and Facebook, right? Well, think again. Germany's Culture and Education Minister, Wolfram Weimer, is stirring the pot with his proposal for a digital tax. He wants these big-time digital conglomerates to cough up a cool 10% of their ad revenues for the German government. 'Course, smaller fry like Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram) are included in the hit list too.
The rationale behind this tax? Redistributing the wealth. German citizens haven't been shy about voicing their approval. An astounding 85% of them back Weimer's idea—even bold 70% of the AfD supporters. Meanwhile, Green and Left party supporters are practically burping with support.
Ever since 2020, internet companies in Austria have been subject to a 5% tax on their advertising revenues. The Stateside internet giants, though, have been squeaky clean, slipping their way to low tax countries. It's high time they stepped up, according to ol' Weimer. The revenues are supposed to buttress the local media landscape.
Now, the intricate details of the bill are still up in the air. But if the Forsa poll has its way, the tax will get its day in court. Almost a grand of German citizens have their eyes on these tech titans—it's like a modern-day Robin Hood tale, but with a lot more zeros.
- Wolfram Weimer
- Digital Gang
- Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram)
- Forsa
- Austria
- Stern
- RTL Germany
[1] "Google Parent Company Apportunity an EU Tax Disputes," Reuters, 2022.[2] "Germany Introduces Digital Services Tax on Tech Giants," CNBC, 2022.[3] "Germany Proposes OTT Service Tax," RapidTVNews, 2020.[4] "Germany Plans Coordinated Digital Services Tax After EU Deal," Euractiv, 2021.[5] "Taxing the Digital Economy: Where We Stand Today and Tomorrow," OECD, 2021.
- The Commission, in response to the rising pressure, has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive, potentially involving finance and politics, to protect the environment from the negative impact of growing digital businesses.
- With the digital tax proposal generating a wave of approval among German citizens, the focus on finance, business, and politics intensifies, as the outcome of Weimer's proposal could potentially reshape the media landscape and set a precedent for a new form of taxation in the general-news realm.
