Overview

• Germany’s culture ministry has prepared legislation to impose a 10 percent levy on major digital platforms that use domestic media content.
• Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer has invited Google executives and other industry leaders to discuss voluntary contributions as an alternative to the tax.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz signaled that Germany will no longer be lenient on American tech firms but stressed a preference for cooperative solutions.
• The U.S. Trade Representative’s office has previously investigated countries with digital service taxes and President Trump has vowed to defend America’s tax base from foreign levies.
• If enacted, Germany would join nations such as Britain, France, Italy and Canada in implementing digital taxes aimed at curbing perceived tech giant tax evasion.