Australia threatens tech companies with 2.25 percent tax if they don’t pay publishers
Australia has proposed a 2.25 percent tax on tech companies that do not pay local publishers for news content. This new initiative, called the News Bargaining Incentive, aims to ensure that social media and search companies contribute to journalism funding. The legislation is set to be introduced soon, with the potential to impact major players like Meta and Google.
- ▪The proposed tax applies to tech companies making AU$250 million a year in Australia.
- ▪Companies can avoid the tax by negotiating deals with local media to fund content creation.
- ▪This initiative follows the previous News Media Bargaining Code and aims to support journalism in Australia.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
(function() { let windowUrl = window.location.href; windowUrl = windowUrl.substring(windowUrl.indexOf('?') + 1); let messageElement = document.querySelector('.shareableMessage'); if (windowUrl && windowUrl.includes('code') && windowUrl.includes('expires')) { messageElement.style.display = 'block'; } })(); Legal Australia threatens tech companies with 2.25 percent tax if they don’t pay publishers Last time an idea like this came up, Meta packed up its toys and went home Simon Sharwood Simon Sharwood Published tue 28 Apr 2026 // 08:20 UTC Australia has come up with a new way to ensure social media and search companies pay to support journalism: a 2.25 percent tax on revenue that’s avoidable if companies instead do deals with local media.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Register.
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