Australian Govt Plans Tax On Meta, Google And TikTok To Fund Newsrooms, Journalism

Last Updated:April 29, 2026, 14:38 IST

Australia plans a News Bargaining Incentive, a 2.25 percent levy on Meta, Google and TikTok Australian revenue to fund newsrooms, unless they strike deals with publishers

Australian government has proposed a legislation to tax global tech giants—Meta, Google and TikTok—to pay for journalism, proposing a 2.25% levy on their Australian revenue if they fail to strike commercial deals with news publishers.

The proposed “News Bargaining Incentive" is set to be introduced in Parliament by July 2, aiming to push digital platforms to compensate media organisations for content used on their services.

Under the plan, companies can avoid the tax by entering agreements with publishers, with incentives structured to make deals cheaper than paying the levy. The government expects the measure to generate between AUD 200 million and 250 million annually, with funds distributed to newsrooms based on the number of journalists employed.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the move is aimed at assigning value to journalism, arguing that large platforms should not profit from news content without fair compensation.

The proposal builds on Australia’s 2021 News Media Bargaining Code, which had earlier forced tech firms into payment deals with publishers.

Tech companies have strongly opposed the plan. Meta termed it a “digital services tax" with no link to value exchange, while Google said it ignores existing agreements and changes in the advertising market.

Despite criticism and possible international pushback, the government has defended the proposal as essential to sustaining journalism and democratic institutions.

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