Meta Opposes Australian Plan to Tax Social Media Platforms for News Funding

(MENAFN) Meta has pushed back against a proposed Australian policy that would require major social media companies to contribute financially to the country's news industry, describing the initiative as “grossly unfair.”

The criticism came after Canberra unveiled its proposed News Bargaining Incentive (NBI), a scheme aimed at generating funding for domestic media organizations through levies imposed on large technology platforms, including Meta, Google and TikTok.

According to reports, money collected under the proposal would be allocated to Australian news outlets based on the size of their journalistic workforce.

Under the plan introduced by the Labor government, Meta would need to reach commercial agreements with local media companies or face a tax of up to 2.25% of its Australian revenue.

The proposal comes as Australia continues to pursue stricter regulation of digital platforms and remains the first country to prohibit social media access for children under the age of 16.

Responding to the measure, Meta argued that the framework would not create a lasting solution for the news sector and would instead make media organizations increasingly reliant on government-managed financial support.

The company said the proposal “will leave Australian journalism dependent on a government-administered subsidy regime while doing little to help smaller publishers and independent journalists.”

Reiterating its position, Meta stated: “Our position is clear: this law is poorly designed, grossly unfair, and will fail to deliver a diverse and sustainable news industry.”

“Our position is clear: this law is poorly designed, grossly unfair, and will fail to deliver a diverse and sustainable news industry,” Meta said in its formal response to Canberra.

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