A journalism tax is a new front in Australia's war on American tech

Australia A new bill would compel Meta, Google, and TikTok to pay for Australian journalism. Meagan O'Rourke | 5.1.2026 12:38 PM (Jonathan Raa/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom/Envato) The Australian government, which has already imposed strict regulations on American tech firms operating in the country, now expects these companies to pay taxes to support Australian journalism. On Tuesday, Australia unveiled draft legislation for a "News Bargaining Incentive," which would require major tech companies, including Meta, Google, and TikTok, to make commercial deals with news organizations or face a 2.25 percent tax on local revenue, reports The Wall Street Journal. Companies would be incentivized to comply by receiving offsets of either 150 or 170 percent, effectively reducing the tax. The legislation would not apply to AI companies. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that the bargaining incentive would bring in an expected 200 to 250 million Australian dollars, "every single dollar" of which "will go back to journalists." Australia's communications minister, Anika Wells, pitches this as a way to fix the country's old News Media Bargaining Code, which took effect in 2021. Like the legislation introduced this week, that code pressured designated tech companies to pay journalistic outlets for news. Google and Meta initially entered into