Most member states oppose the EU levying a "flow tax" on technology companies.

CTOnews.com, June 3 (Xinhua) according to Reuters, most member states oppose the EU levying a "traffic tax" on Google, Meta and other technology companies, believing that it will lead to an investment gap, and even if the levy is imposed, these technology companies will pass on the costs to consumers.

The EU launched a 12-week consultation in February to require broadband-intensive technology companies such as Apple, Netflix and Google to pay an "internet tax" to help build 5G network infrastructure.

The draft document, which is part of negotiations with the industry, suggests that companies donate a fund to offset the cost of building 5G mobile networks and fiber-optic infrastructure, and establish a mandatory system to guide technology giants to pay telecom operators.

The member states that oppose the imposition of a "flow tax" are attached by CTOnews.com as follows:

Austria

Belgium

Czech Republic

Denmark

Finland

Germany

Ireland

Lithuania

Malta

Netherlands

The members that remain neutral are as follows:

Poland

Portugal

Romania

The member States that support the expropriation are as follows:

Cyprus

France

Greece

Hungary

Italy

Related readings:

"Joint statement of European telecom operators: technology companies such as Google and Meta use too much traffic and must share network costs."

The European Union promotes the 5G infrastructure plan, requiring companies that take up large amounts of broadband resources, such as Apple and Netflix, to pay an "Internet tax".