France Approves Proposal for €0.055 Tax per GB of Internet Traffic

Mumbly

The French National Assembly passed an amendment to the 2027 finance bill that would impose a €0.055 charge on every gigabyte of data transmitted to users in France. It cleared by a single vote among the deputies who participated, 11 to 10, according to reporting from Techaeris.

The tax would fall on content and data providers: Netflix, Google, Meta, Amazon, Akamai, game distribution platforms, and similar services. Consumers would not receive a separate line item at checkout for each download.

More here: https://finance.yahoo.com/economy/policy/articles/france-approves-proposal-0-055-161418750.html

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Who pays: The tax applies to the “producers” of the data, meaning providers of content and services.

Measurement: Internet providers such as Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free would record the volume of data sent to their customers and identify the sender. The anonymized, aggregated figures would go to the tax authority once a quarter, with Arcep overseeing the process.
Content delivery networks: If traffic runs through a CDN that caches content close to users, the total amount of data leaving that network counts.
Cap: The tax may not exceed 15 percent of the sender’s revenue in France or 2 percent of its global revenue.
Privacy: According to the amendment, only the quantity of data is measured, and the content itself is never accessed.

More here: https://www.trendingtopics.eu/france-gigabyte-tax-vlc/

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Gamers and the media community have focused on the potential financial impact on the entertainment industry.
For example, assuming a Grand Theft Auto 6 install size of approximately 218 GB, the download fee alone would be approximately €12.
Beyond digital distribution of video games, the new financial obligations could extend to major media content providers and streaming platforms such as Netflix and YouTube, which generate a significant share of global traffic.

More here: https://en.gamegpu.com/news/igry/frantsiya-odobrila-nalog-eur0-055-za-kazhdyj-gb-internet-trafika-i-zagruzka-gta-6-mozhet-podorozhat

Although the proposal has sparked controversy, it is not yet law and must go through France’s full legislative process.
While officially targeting data delivery companies, critics fear the costs will ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher prices.

WSS

Allahu Akbar!

AnthonySmith

Good god.....

And... so it begins.

davide

In Italy there is a tax on hard disks and USB drives. Why not a tax on the internet? Tax the French, seems only fair.

Fraternité, égalite, faisenculé.

dbadude

The dutch tax everything that can hold music or video. CD-rom, usb disks, phones, harddisks etc.. The money is collected for the poor musicians and artists.

vyas

They need to restore all those burnt buildings and someone saw money in p0rn streaming

Nekopara

next up tax for using oxygen while breathing

snake

I'm just waiting for the government to figure out a way to tax taxation.

AnthonySmith

I hate this phrase "The cost of living" Unaliving is aparently illegal.... so my other choice is...... ? erm, like, what other system caters for those that do not want to be a tax machine for oversized governments that regulate everything?

At this stage we do not live in a free world, democarcy is a myth, we simply get to vote for our next dictator.

devnull

Gamers and the media community

Go outside and play

davide

@AnthonySmith said:
I hate this phrase "The cost of living" Unaliving is aparently illegal.... so my other choice is...... ? erm, like, what other system caters for those that do not want to be a tax machine for oversized governments that regulate everything?

At this stage we do not live in a free world, democarcy is a myth, we simply get to vote for our next dictator.

Here's the plan, typed thru my cold, wintry fingers, as home heating is a luxury the EU reserves to gods and parastatal appointees:

1) partner with VPS Price Tracker and make one million dollars;
2) pay your fair taxes on your one million dollar;
3) with the $30,000 left that survive thru taxes and random fines, buy the tiniest condo in the Dubai Free Airport area and apply for a green card;
4) for the next 5 years, HMRC will send you monthly death threats and prison sentences, plus incommensurable fines, for crimes that you didn't even know existed but they say you committed. They say you owe them another 5 millions for that one million you earned, so treat the situation responsibly, which is, by never stepping back to the UK for the rest of your life;
5) start living your life in peace, enjoying the products of your labor and your work;
6) marry me;
7) flee the Emirates on a rubber dingy the moment King Mohammed realizes petroleum no longer sells very well.

AnthonySmith

@davide said: 6) marry me;

I snore

vyas

True. Walking/running/ throw a ball or two
Good exercise too

@devnull said:

Gamers and the media community

Go outside and play

dbadude

Making more laws are the europeans great at.> @snake said:

I'm just waiting for the government to figure out a way to tax taxation.

In netherlands you pay vat tax on some taxes.