France's lawmakers back per-gigabyte levy on content providers
The amendment is only a first step and must still clear the rest of the 2027 budget process before any levy could take effect.
France's National Assembly narrowly backed an amendment, 11-10 on October 30, that would levy about €0.055 (roughly $0.06) on content providers for each gigabyte of data delivered to French users. Its authors estimate the levy could bring in around €10 billion ($11.2 billion) a year, and they name Google, Meta, Netflix, Amazon and Akamai as likely payers, with TikTok possibly included. Internet providers would have to measure traffic per company and report it quarterly to the tax administration under the telecoms regulator Arcep. The measure carries a cap of 15% of a firm's French revenue or 2% of its worldwide revenue, and critics warn of privacy risks and heavier monitoring. It is only the first step: the amendment must survive the rest of the 2027 budget process, with a vote on the budget's first section due in early November.
Why it matters
If the measure survives, large platforms and streaming services serving French users would owe a charge tied to how much data they deliver, with the amount capped against their French or worldwide revenue. Internet providers would have to measure traffic for each company and report it quarterly to the tax administration under the telecoms regulator Arcep. Critics warn the approach raises privacy concerns and heavier monitoring of online traffic, so the debate now turns on whether the proposal can pass the budget vote and how it would be policed.
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