Australia to impose tax on Meta, Google, and TikTok

Government says platforms profit from news content without fair compensation to journalists

Canberra (Australia) – The government of Australia has taken a major step by deciding to impose a tax on major digital platforms such as Meta, Google, and TikTok. The move aims to ensure that these companies provide fair compensation to news organisations. The government plans to levy a 2.25% tax on these platforms to compel them to enter into agreements with media organisations. A draft of the law is expected to be presented in the Australian Parliament in July. If enacted, the law could also lead to taxation of major social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that it is essential to assign economic value to journalists’ work. He stated that large multinational companies profit from news content created by journalists while failing to compensate them adequately, which is unacceptable. The government estimates that the scheme could generate annual revenue of 200 to 250 million Australian dollars.

🇦🇺 Australia Draws the Line Against Big Tech

Australia is moving to impose a 2.25% tax on Meta, Google & TikTok unless they fairly compensate news publishers whose journalism drives traffic and profits.

Big Tech is protesting. Australia isn’t backing down. 💥

The message is… pic.twitter.com/H613xzB2rq

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) April 29, 2026

Opposition from companies

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, argued that news organisations voluntarily publish content on its platforms because it benefits them. It rejected claims that it takes news content unfairly, describing the proposal as a form of digital services tax that fails to properly understand the evolving advertising industry.

Similarly, Google dismissed the need for such a tax, stating that it already has commercial agreements with the news industry and that the proposal does not adequately account for changes in the advertising market.

Australia remains firm

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed concerns about potential reactions from the United States, stating that Australia is a sovereign nation and its government will make decisions based on national interest.