Meta Platforms said it will begin charging advertisers a location-based fee of 2% to 5% to offset digital services taxes imposed by certain countries, following similar moves by Alphabet’s Google and Amazon.
The fee will apply to image and video advertisements delivered across Meta platforms, including click-to-message campaigns on WhatsApp and marketing messages combined with ads. The change will take effect on July 1 and will also cover other government-imposed levies.
Meta said it had previously absorbed these additional costs but is introducing the charge as part of efforts to adapt to evolving regulations and align with industry practices.
The location fee will be determined by where the advertisement’s audience is based rather than the advertiser’s business location. Meta said the charge will apply in six countries, with rates ranging from 2% in the United Kingdom, 3% in France, Italy and Spain, and 5% in Austria and Turkey.
Digital services taxes, which are levied as a share of revenue earned by large technology firms in individual countries, have faced criticism from the U.S. administration, which argues they disproportionately target American companies.
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