The Greens are today calling on the Government to introduce a ‘Big Tech Tax’ following revelations that billions of dollars generated in Australia by global tech giants like Meta, Amazon and Google are being shipped offshore.
Greens spokesperson for communications, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young:
“Big tech companies make billions of dollars off Australians and it’s time to make them pay their fair share with a Digital Services Tax.
“We will look closely at the details of the News Bargaining Incentive draft legislation that has been released today and participate in the consultation ahead of its introduction to the parliament.
“Big tech platforms make massive profits from ripping off the content of journalists and creators, but they are also making billions from monetising the personal data of Australians and shifting profits offshore.
“Billion-dollar tech corporations are exploiting loopholes and shifting profits offshore, and Australians are rightly asking why they’re getting away with it.
“It’s time to end the free ride for Tech billionaires and impose a proper and enforceable tax on big tech.
“Companies that trade in Australia should pay tax on the money they make in Australia. It’s as simple as that.
“New reports show that in the last year alone, Meta generated around $1.7 billion in revenue from Australia, but shifted roughly $1.5 billion offshore. That’s about 87 cents in every dollar.
“In the same period, Amazon generated close to $6 billion in Australian revenue, Google approximately $2 billion, and Meta itself billions more.
“This is tens of billions of dollars out of the pockets of everyday Australian users, being sent immediately offshore by these massive corporations without any contribution to Australian taxes.
“They are gaming the system and ripping Australian households off. The community has had a gutful and want the system fixed.
“It’s time the tech bros paid their fair share back to Australians.
“A Digital Services Tax would raise approximately $11.5 billion according to the Parliamentary Budget Office, which could be invested in real cost of living relief as Aussies struggle through the economic crisis caused by Donald Trump’s war.
“A Big Tech Tax is a crucial first step in reining in the enormous power these companies wield. Not only are they making extraordinary profits, they are also harvesting and monetising the personal data of millions of Australians, while ripping off the work of Australian journalists and creators.
“These foreign-owned corporations continue to make huge profits from Australians while resisting regulation at every turn. That has to change.
“Now more than ever Australia needs to stand up for our national interest against Donald Trump’s billionaire oligarchs like Zuckerberg, Musk and Bezos.