German digital ministry treads cautiously over online platform levy

BERLIN, May 30 (Reuters) - Germany's new digital ministry said any levy on online platforms would have to be internationally coordinated and not result in higher prices for end consumers, in a sign on Friday of possible divisions within government over plans for such a tax.
The Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer had said in an interview published on Thursday that officials were working on a levy which would hit platforms such as Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and Meta's Facebook (META.O), opens new tab.
A levy of 10% would be reasonable, he said - without specifying if this were a tax on revenue or profit.
Germany's ruling parties agreed earlier this year to consider the introduction of a digital services levy, but this was not on the list of projects the coalition wants to prioritise.
Weimer's proposal had not yet been agreed upon by the government, officials had said.
"The decisive factors in evaluating such a levy are that it is designed in a targeted manner, is internationally coordinated and compatible with EU law, that any potential revenue benefits Germany as a hub for innovation, and that ultimately no higher prices are passed on to end consumers," a spokesperson for the digital ministry said.
The proposal comes as Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to travel to Washington soon to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, although a trip has not yet been officially announced. Trump has in the past said he will not allow foreign governments to "appropriate America's tax base for their own benefit".
Industry association Bitkom warned that the levy could lead to price increases that would impact businesses, public administrations, and consumers.
"These price increases will hinder and slow down the urgently needed acceleration of the digitalization of public services and the digital transformation of companies," said Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst. "What we need is not more, but fewer financial burdens on digital goods and services."

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mail​

10 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Revealed: The popular tourist destination where Brits will get the best exchange rate

It feels like it's getting more and more expensive to go abroad, and many Brits are really feeling the pinch when it comes to their holidays. But there's a popular tourist hotspot where your pound will stretch further than anywhere else. Post Office Travel Money's Holiday Spending Report looked at how sterling is performing against its 30 bestselling currencies compared with 12 and three months ago. It reveals that visitors to Turkey from the UK will get the most for their money, due to the ongoing, long-term collapse of the Turkish lira. Over the past three months, the lira has fallen by 12.9 per cent against the pound. And, compared with last June, visitors can now expect to receive around £116 (+30.2 per cent) more when they buy £500 worth of lira. The report also reveals the sterling has bounced back against the US dollar and is currently 6.6 per cent stronger than it was a year ago, and has gained 4.9 per cent in the past three months. For £500, tourists will now receive almost £31 more of US dollars, than they would a year ago. The report also reveals the sterling has bounced back against the US dollar and is currently 6.6 per cent stronger than it was a year ago, but Brits are turning their back on the States Despite this bang for your buck, the report found that many Brits are turning away from travelling to the States. Over half (53 per cent) of those surveyed said they'd actively avoid destinations where they think President Donald Trump's tariffs could affect resort prices, and 39 per cent said they categorically will not travel to the States. But those not wanting to go to the US can still benefit from the dollar recovery, as it extends to the Caribbean and Middle East currencies pegged to the dollar. It means Brits planning trips to Barbados, Antigua, Dubai, and other long-haul holiday favourites will get more for their pounds. Meanwhile, holidaymakers rated Spain (41 per cent), Turkey (35 per cent) and Thailand (31 per cent) best value for money out of 39 worldwide destinations. However, the report found the Thai baht was one of only five of the 30 bestselling currencies to rise in value against sterling. A sterling year-on-year fall of 5.2 per cent means that British visitors will get £27.64 fewer Thai baht on a typical £500 currency transaction. Given that almost half (48 per cent) of holidaymakers said they will choose their destination based on the strength of sterling, two other Far Eastern destinations – Vietnam and Bali - will actually offer Brits more for their money. Visitors to Vietnam will get the equivalent of £42.01 – or 9.2 per cent extra - on a £500 purchase of Vietnamese dong. Those choosing Bali, fourth-placed in the barometer, can expect around £33 (7.1 per cent) more in Indonesian rupiah than a year ago. Laura Plunkett, Head of Travel Money at Post Office, said: 'This year's holiday spending research again demonstrates that holidaymakers don't always set a realistic budget and overspend by large amounts as a result. 'It's great to hear that holidaymakers are already planning to budget more for their holidays this year, to avoid coming unstuck when they arrive at their destination.'

Daily Mail​

25 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

'MAGA Mark' Zuckerberg leaves Meta staff horrified after Joe Rogan chat

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg 's new machismo and perceived alignment with President Trump has reportedly unsettled employees and execs inside the company. The billionaire tech mogul has been dubbed 'MAGA Mark' by staffers following his January appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, where he criticized Corporate America as 'culturally neutered' and called for more 'masculine energy' in the workplace. Zuckerberg's remarks - made as an aspiring MMA fighter - sparked discomfort among employees at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, according to the Financial Times. In the days following the interview, several executives raised concerns during a leadership meeting at Meta's California headquarters. 'He basically said, "If you don't like it, tough s**t,"' a source familiar with the conversation told the Financial Times. On the podcast, Zuckerberg, 41, also praised mixed martial arts as a form of male bonding and argued that male aggression can be constructive. 'There's this crazy thing about wrestling,' he told Rogan, a former MMA commentator. 'If you get into a fight with someone at work, you're probably going to get fired. But if you train in MMA, you can roll hard with someone and you're both better friends afterward.' 'In a lot of the corporate world, there's this assumption that aggression or intensity is inherently negative,' he added. 'But it's not. I actually think it's useful - you just need to know how to channel that energy.' Zuckerberg's evolution from a traditional Silicon Valley liberal to someone increasingly aligned with Donald Trump, 79, has become a hallmark of his leadership at Meta. Once known as a low-profile, hoodie-clad Democrat, Zuckerberg has reshaped his public persona - appearing shirtless in MMA training videos, sporting gold chains, and flaunting luxury watches. His appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast - one of several engagements with largely male, anti-woke audiences - fueled growing criticism that he's signaling a broader political shift to the right. His public praise for Trump and reductions in content moderation at Meta have further intensified concerns about the company's ideological direction, the Financial Times reported. But, insiders argue that Zuckerberg isn't changing so much as revealing a version of himself they've always known. 'When he was 19 years old, I think he had an idea in his head of what a CEO was supposed to be like and he was trying to be that, especially in public,' Meta's chief technology officer Andrew Bosworth, told the Financial Times. 'The public is seeing him more how we have, internally, since the beginning,' Bosworth added. Zuckerberg's evolving persona comes as he positions Meta aggressively in the high-stakes race for dominance in artificial intelligence. Last week, the company made headlines with its $14.3 billion acquisition of Scale AI, securing a 49 percent non-voting stake in the startup and access to its infrastructure and talent - including founder Alexandr Wang, who now leads Meta's new 'superintelligence' unit. However, his move has triggered backlash from rivals, with OpenAI and Google severing ties with Scale over conflict-of-interest concerns, the New York Post reported. With plans to spend $65 billion annually on AI by 2025, the technology company is 'betting big.' But, the ambitious approach comes with risks, including mounting costs, regulatory scrutiny, and challenges in retaining top engineering talent. As of Friday, Zuckerberg was the world's second-richest person, with a net worth of $245 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Despite the heavy-hitting criticism, Zuckerberg isn't alone in his apparent shift toward a more MAGA- aligned stance. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, once seen as a liberal-leaning titan of industry, has recently voiced criticisms of the Biden administration and echoed right-leaning talking points. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk famously made a similar pivot earlier, aligning himself with conservative narratives on free speech, 'wokeness,' and government overreach - positions that initially found common ground with figures like Trump before their public falling out.

Auto Car

an hour ago

• Auto Car

MWIC Bonus Episode 13: Autocar Meets car designer Julian Thomson, GM Advanced Design Europe

Close Julian Thomson is one of the world's best car designers and if you don't know the name, you'll know his cars. As Lotus's chief designer he designed the Elise and at Jaguar Land Rover created the LRX concept, which went on to become the Range Rover Evoque. But most of Thomson's career has been spent in advanced design and that's where he finds himself now, at General Motors' new advanced design centre Europe. Why does GM need a European design centre and what will it do? Join Steve Cropley and Matt Prior as they put these questions and many more to one of the world's most eminent car designers.