A majority of Germans support the idea of digital companies contributing a percentage of their advertising revenue to the state, a recent survey has found. According to the Forsa Institute, which conducted the poll on behalf of the “Stern” magazine, 85% of respondents back the proposal.
The survey, which interviewed 1,007 people by phone on June 4 and 5, shows that the majority of Germans support the plan, with only a slight drop in support among Alternative for Germany (AfD) voters, at 70%. In contrast, nearly all voters of the Green and Left parties support the idea, as does the majority of the general public.
The proposal for a digital tax was recently put forward by Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer, who believes that companies like Alphabet, the parent company of Google and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, should contribute 10% of their advertising revenue to the state. Weimer argues that the tax should apply to all platforms that use media content and that the revenue generated should benefit the German media landscape.
The digital companies in question have so far paid relatively little in taxes, as they have relocated their European headquarters to countries with low tax rates. Austria, for example, has already introduced a 5% tax on advertising revenue for internet companies, which took effect in 2020.
While the details of how and when the proposal will be implemented remain unclear, Culture Minister Weimer has stated that the revenue generated will benefit the German media landscape.