A paragraph on the Web Tax, the law created to target Big Tech, has been included in the text of the latest Budget Law. Until now, Web Tax was reserved for multinational companies dealing with digital services with turnovers exceeding 750 million euros. With the new version, the tax would be extended to all companies that publish content online, including small newspapers.
Interview with Brando Benifei
Pd MEP and rapporteur of the Ai Act
Maybe the problem is that you don’t understand the goal. In the text of the Budget Law for 2025 you can find a paragraph of a few lines on the Web Tax. Theoretically this tax was created for hit Big Tech: it is dedicated to companies that publish content online but is limited only to those with a global turnover above 750 million euros. In the version presented with the latest maneuver the Ministry of Economy it removed all budget limits. Result? If the text passes as it stands, any company that publishes content online will have to pay a fee into the state coffersrate equal to 3% of revenues.
As you can imagine, the first to pay the price are the newspapers that work online, of any size, which will thus be equated with giants such as YouTube and Instagram. And in fact in the last few weeks they have arrived several voices against this taxeven by the majority. We talked about it with Brando BenifeiMEP elected on the PD lists and rapporteur of the Ai Act, the European law to regulate the use and development of artificial intelligence.
There has been talk of a European Web Tax for some time. What is the difference with the Italian one?
Maneuver, no cut in Rai license fees and new Irpef reduction: Salvini and Tajani will have to renounce the measures
The essential difference compared to the proposals being talked about in Europe is that the Web Tax designed by the government affects all realities: without differences in turnover. There is no longer a distinction between a small online newspaper and Big Tech.
What is the point of removing this distinction?
I find it absurd. In Italy we should encourage the field of digital services and support small and medium-sized businesses that try to work in this sector. They are trying to recover money everywhere.
What are the effects of such a tax.
Digitalisation is discouraged of the economy in Italy, a topic on which we are already behind. Not only that. We also need to think about how these measures are read by the states of the European Union. So far we are we are trying to move in a compact manner: as happens with the Digital Service Act.
There are those who read this tax as a direct attack on newspapers. It definitely doesn’t help.
I think one prevails in this case spirit of making money short-sightedly, without foreseeing. I don’t see a plan but the inability to understand how much such a choice could impact our economy.
There has been talk of a European Web Tax for years, always limited to the large platforms. At the moment the results are missing: where are we at?
Work on this is at a standstill. In the next few weeks we will have the European Parliament new hearings with the commissioners who deal with the topic but now it is difficult to define a clear timeline.
Does the United States’ choice to elect Donald Trump as president change anything on this issue?
It’s hard to say, at least now. What I fear is that with Donald Trump as president every country will try to build a privileged relationshipwithout passing through the European Union. Especially for topics that concern taxes and duties. If we enter into these dynamics, where everyone goes in no particular order, the future is quite clear: it would be the end of the European political project.
