The key facts

  • The rate is 5.5 euro cents per gigabyte of traffic delivered to individuals
  • The tax affects Google, Netflix, Amazon and Meta
  • Oversight is assigned to French internet operators; potential revenues are estimated at €10 billion

The approved tax and its parameters

France has approved the introduction of a tax on internet traffic for large companies, reports Gazeta.Ru citing Le Figaro. The new measure obliges major data producers to pay 5.5 euro cents for every gigabyte of internet traffic delivered to individuals. The taxation applies to Google, Netflix, Amazon and Meta (designated as extremist and banned in Russia).

Who will oversee the collection

French internet operators will monitor compliance and pass the relevant information to the authorities — meaning that, technically, the executors are not the payers themselves but the telecom operators through whose networks the traffic passes. Supporters of the tax point out that it could potentially bring €10 billion into the treasury.

Context: discussion of traffic limits in Russia

The article also recalls another initiative in traffic regulation: Forbes previously reported, citing sources, that Russia's Ministry of Digital Development is discussing the possibility of introducing a limit on foreign internet traffic for Russian users. Such measures could be included in a bill on reforming the telecommunications industry: the ministry would be able to route all traffic from foreign domains through technical means of countering threats (TSPU) and set limits on its use. In addition, the Ministry of Digital Development previously proposed using AI to detect and block VPN services. This is a separate Russian initiative still at the discussion stage and should not be confused with the already approved French tax: in France the matter concerns a fiscal measure for large companies, while in Russia it concerns possible restrictions on access to foreign traffic.