Critics from the Greens lambast inadequate government plans regarding platform deployment
The current status of the proposed digital levy on large corporations in Germany is shrouded in uncertainty, with no finalized definition, scope, or amount officially established as of August 2025. The proposal, largely driven by Wolfram Weimer, Minister of State for Culture, aims for a levy on "online platforms that use media content," yet the term lacks a precise legal or tax definition in German or European law.
Key points on the levy:
- Definition of online platforms: There is no established legal definition of "online platforms" in German tax law or the EU context related to this levy. The term is only used in other legal areas like liability law but not tax law. This causes significant ambiguity around which platforms would be affected.
- Affected platforms: The focus appears to be on digital platforms that use or monetize media content, specifically relating to advertising revenues. However, the coalition government has only stated that they are examining such a fiscal levy, and no clear list or criteria of platforms subject to the tax has been published. The levy is notably separate from broader digital services taxes seen in countries like Poland, which have clearer revenue thresholds and scope.
- Amount of the levy: No publicly disclosed rate or amount for the German levy exists yet. The government is still conceptualizing the structure, potentially as a "special fiscal levy" on advertising revenues of these platforms. The political complexity, especially pressure and opposition from the US considering such digital taxes as trade barriers, has significantly slowed progress and obscured details.
In sum, as of August 2025, Germany’s digital levy on large online platforms is still in an exploratory phase without concrete legislative text, clear definitions of platforms impacted, or specified tax rates. The project is politically sensitive with ongoing debates about scope and implementation amid US-EU trade tensions and internal German government deliberations.
The Greens have criticized the lack of substance in Weimer's statements about the height of the levy, the selection of affected platforms, and the use of funds. The review includes an assessment of the compatibility with European law, but the final definition of the term "online platform" in the context of the review is not yet available. The specific platforms that could be affected by the digital levy are still undetermined, and it is unclear what the review from the coalition agreement looks like exactly. The review is ongoing and the coalition agreement details are unclear.
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