Federal Minister Weimer plans a digital tax for large internet companies such as Google and Meta to tax media content.
Cultural and Media Minister Wolfram Weimer plans a digital levy that would make large internet companies such as Google and Meta. A legislation is being prepared, said Weimer in a “Stern” interview.
What could the digital delivery look like?
Weimer sees a possible approach in the taxation of online advertising services. Alternatively, a commitment is also brought into play.
In the interview, Weimer said: “It’s not just about Google Ads. It is generally about platform operators with billions of billions. We consider a tax rate of 10 percent to be moderate and legitimate.”
Model Austria
The model is therefore Austria. In the neighboring country, large online platforms have been obliged since 2020 to pay five percent of the income from advertising marketing. Weimer spoke of a “platform soli”. It could apply to platforms that use media content. This means not only journalistic products, but also cultural, said Weimer. He did not give any details on the plans, such as the amount of the possible income and use of the money.
How do the press publisher react?
The spokesman for the Alliance Future Press Press of the Federal Association of Digital Publisher and Newspaper Publishers (BDZV) and Media Association of the Free Press (MVFP), Matthias Ditzen-Blanke and Philipp Welte, said: “We welcome that the new federal government wants to take on the platform monopolies in the interests of digital media diversity.” At the same time, they added: “A tax on online advertising services of the monopolis is only suitable if the income does not disappear in the federal budget, but is used directly for the counter -financing of the support of editorial media, the economy of which is massively attacked by those international technology platforms.”
Weimer: Huge margin sinks
End customers should not be asked to checkout. The experiences from Austria showed that such a tax had not had a relevant price change for them, said the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media. “But it has led the corporations to finally make a small tax contribution for society, that is, their huge margin drops somewhat. At the same time, this opens the competition,” said Weimer.
He referred to a work order in the coalition agreement between the Union and SPD. There it says under the heading “Strengthening media diversity – securing freedom of expression”: “We examine the introduction of a submission for online platforms that use media content. The proceeds should benefit the media location.” In the tense transatlantic relationship and in the middle of the customs dispute with the USA, this could lead to further conflicts.
Conversation with platform operators
Weimer said: “Something has to change now. Germany is now in a questionable manner dependent on the technological infrastructure of the Americans.” So far, the large platforms have been “skillful tax avoidance”. This is unsolidar and leading to conflicts with national and European authorities. There are now monopoly -like structures. Media variety is endangered.
Weimer described the further process as follows: “We work out a law on how the coalition agreement demands this. This is now discussed with the stakeholders, but above all in parliament. At the same time, I am looking for the conversation with the platform operators at top level to probe alternative solutions.”
After preliminary talks in the coalition, he had the impression that there could be great unity between the Union, the SPD and the Greens. “We should finally demand Google and Co.,” said Weimer.
This is how the shares of Alphabet and Meta react
Meanwhile, the stocks of the US giants are largely unimpressed by the plans in Germany: the alphabet share at Nasdaq temporarily gains $ 175.01 to $ 175.01, while the meta-note is $ 1.12 percent up to $ 650.78.
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Berlin (dpa-Afx)
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