Greens propose ‘big tech tax’ targeting billionaire tech bros
The Greens have pledged to implement a big tech tax targeting large multinationals including Meta, Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
The proposal would see digital service providers pay a 3 per cent tax on revenue over $20 million earned in Australia in a bid to capture some of the hefty profits tech multinationals make in Australia.
“Companies that trade in Australia need to pay tax on the money they make in Australia. Global tech giants are making billions of dollars in revenue in Australia while paying very little in tax,” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“We know this works overseas and it can work here. At least 12 other countries already have a Digital Services Tax including the UK, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Portugal.”
The tax would rake in approximately $11.5 billion over the medium term, according to analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), which the Greens argued could be invested into public service provisions, such as including dental in Medicare.
The proposal echoes Australia’s other efforts to make deals with big tech companies, such as the News Media Bargaining Code, which sought to make tech companies pay media organisations for news displayed on social media websites.
The code has been met with notable resistance from US-headquartered multinationals such as Meta, which refused to renew its contracts with Australian media publishers in 2024. The Labor government responded by considering a digital platform levy to help pay media companies but has yet to announce such a policy.
Some experts argued that Australian efforts to crack down on US-headquartered multinationals could put Australia in the crosshairs for further tariffs.
The White House lashed out at other countries’ implementation of digital service taxes, which they claim are “designed to plunder American companies.”
US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on foreign governments that have applied taxes and regulations on US multinationals to disincentivise policies that, in his view, exert “extraterritorial authority over American companies.”
According to the PBO, in 2022–23, Google raised over $8.7 billion, Amazon almost $6 billion, and Microsoft and Uber over $2.9 billion each in Australia.
The Greens said multinational tech companies wield “astronomical power” that enabled them to harvest and sell the personal data of millions of Australians while making super profits and allowed them to avoid paying their fair share of tax.
“We need to stand up for our national interest against Donald Trump’s billionaire oligarchs like Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos,” Hanson-Young said.
“With a power-sharing Parliament likely, the Greens will push for this policy after the election.
“These big foreign-owned corporations make huge profits off Australians and resist regulation at every turn. It’s time they paid their fair share of tax.”
