Overview
- The government released final technical rules that raise the levy to 2.5% and limit its taxable base to digital advertising revenue earned in Australia.
- Platforms covered now include TikTok and LinkedIn and must strike deals with at least six publishers for credits that are capped at 16.67% for any single agreement.
- The rules boost payments to small publishers by applying a 200% multiplier to deals with them and allow platforms to offset levy liability by deducting negotiated payments.
- Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino says negotiated deals would deliver about $200–$250 million a year to media while platforms that refuse to deal would instead pay $350–$400 million into government coffers.
- Major publishers led by Nine have warned the late changes could drive newsroom job cuts and said they feel misled, while US officials and industry groups have called the plan discriminatory and used ‘extortion’ language as diplomatic pressure grows ahead of Prime Minister Albanese’s planned US visit.