The German Ministry of Culture is drafting a bill to introduce a 10% tax on large digital platforms that use media content, on Thursday, the 29th of May, reports Politico.
“Major American digital platforms such as Alphabet/Google, Meta and others are on my agenda,” Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer said in an interview with Stern magazine. “We believe that a tax rate of 10% is moderate and legitimate.”
Digital taxes would mainly affect large US technology companies such as Apple and Google. This could cause tensions between Germany and the US, especially if the move is seen as a response to Trump’s harsh tariffs, which are already hurting the export-oriented German economy.
Weimer, from Chancellor Merz’s centre-right party, said he had invited Google and other industry leaders to discuss possible voluntary solutions. “At the same time we are preparing a draft law,” he said.
Weimer said the bill would be based on a similar digital tax already used in Austria. Earlier this month, the EU Commission proposed a similar plan to help repay its 350 billion euro debt after Covid-19 – a plan which Germany then opposed.
But the shift appears to have been closely coordinated with the chancellery.
In an interview broadcast this week, Merz said that US technology companies currently pay low taxes in Europe and that this could change. However, he added that he did not want to exacerbate tensions and preferred to find a solution together.
Germany drafts bill to tax digital platforms
