Politics · France · 9 hrs ago
French lawmakers back a tax on data delivered to users
France’s National Assembly backed a new tax on internet data in a close 11-10 vote on an amendment to the budget.
The proposal would charge content providers €0.055 for each gigabyte sent to users in France.
It is aimed at companies that deliver large volumes of online content, including streaming, social media and cloud services.
The providers, not internet users, would pay the tax under the proposal.
Its supporters estimate it could raise up to €10 billion a year and encourage companies to reduce data use.
Some companies might pass costs on through higher prices or limit services and downloads, though these are possible effects, not announced changes.
The proposal still faces further parliamentary scrutiny before it can become law.
French lawmakers voted 11-10 on October 30 to add a proposed tax on digital data traffic to the next budget.
The amendment would charge content providers €0.055 for each gigabyte of data delivered to users in France.
Its authors estimate that the measure could raise up to €10 billion in annual revenue.
The proposal faces further parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet become law.
The government and the finance committee rapporteur opposed the amendment.
- Who
- Members of France’s National Assembly voted on the amendment, introduced by Socialist lawmaker Laurent Lhardit.
- What
- They backed a proposed tax of €0.055 per gigabyte of data delivered to French users.
- When
- October 30, 2026.
- Where
- France’s National Assembly.
- Why
- The authors say it could raise up to €10 billion in revenue; they also say the cost could encourage providers to optimize and compress data flows.
Amendment supporters
French government and finance committee rapporteur
Vote
Amendment supporters
Supporters backed the amendment, which passed 11-10.
French government and finance committee rapporteur
The government and finance committee rapporteur opposed it.
Purpose and impact
Amendment supporters
Supporters say the tax could generate up to €10 billion and encourage providers to optimize data flows.
French government and finance committee rapporteur
The sources do not state the opponents’ reasons.
The National Assembly adopted the amendment by 11 votes to 10.
The amendment was added to the next budget but still faces further parliamentary scrutiny.
- Rate
- €0.055 per gigabyte
- Vote
- 11-10
- Potential annual revenue
- Up to €10 billion
- Proposed payer
- Providers of content delivered to users in France
- Next step
- Further parliamentary scrutiny
4 sources
French lawmakers approve $11.2 billion internet tax based on traffic usage, costs $0.06 per gigabyte of content accessed
Nationalversammlung: Frankreich will eine Steuer von 5,5 Cent pro Gigabyte
Budget : les députés votent en faveur d’une nouvelle taxe sur les données numériques, censée rapporter 10 milliards d’euros
12 € pour GTA VI, 0,45 € pour un film : une taxe inédite sur les données adoptée à l'Assemblée
What people are saying
This amendment proposes a tax on digital data flows emitted by content providers, to be borne by the providers themselves. Its revenue is estimated at €10 billion.