Minister defends taxing big techs to fund inclusion – 02/06/2024 – Panel

At a telecommunications sector meeting this Tuesday (6), the Minister of Communications, Juscelino Filho, defended the taxation of big techs —large digital platforms such as Google, Meta and Netflix, among others— to finance digital inclusion actions in the country.

According to the minister, large platforms do not pay any compensation for the massive use of data traffic in the country’s telecommunications infrastructure.

“The federal government makes large investments to maintain and expand the country’s telecommunications infrastructure. So it is fair that these big techs, which earn billions, leave a contribution in Brazil and that, necessarily, these resources, or part of them, are reverted to bring internet to the poorest, to the furthest places, where the private sector cannot reach”, said Juscelino.

In October last year, in a similar initiative, large European telecommunications companies, such as Orange and Vodafone, released a letter in which they pressured the European Union to tax big tech companies to compensate for the massive use of the networks.

The minister also defended the separation of debates on company taxation and on the regulation of social media content.

“When we separate the discussion of taxation from content regulation, perhaps we will achieve a less harsh environment and a more constructive debate to advance this agenda”, explained Juscelino.

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