Meta Platforms said it will introduce a new location fee for advertisers to cover digital service taxes and similar government-imposed levies in a set of countries, according to a company post on its website. The charge will range from 2% to 5% and will apply to image and video advertisements served on Meta’s properties, including WhatsApp click-to-message campaigns and marketing messages bundled with ads.
The company said the additional location fee will be effective from July 1. Meta noted that the charge will also be used to cover other levies imposed by governments, and that until now the company had absorbed such costs itself. In its statement, Meta framed the change as part of its response to an evolving regulatory environment and as an alignment with industry norms.
The fee will be calculated based on the location of the audience seeing the ad rather than the location of the advertiser’s business. Meta provided a list of six countries where the new fee will be applied, specifying the rates for each: the United Kingdom will be charged 2%, France 3%, Italy 3%, Spain 3%, Austria 5% and Turkey 5%.
The company’s announcement follows similar moves by other large technology firms. Digital taxes are described as levies taken as a percentage of revenue generated by major tech companies within individual countries. These measures have triggered criticism from the U.S. administration, which has argued that such taxes discriminate against U.S. companies.
Meta also acknowledged that these location fees reflect a broader industry shift. Bloomberg was cited in reporting on Meta’s decision to introduce location fees.
Separately, the announcement appeared alongside promotional material in the original reporting that highlights an AI-driven investment product which evaluates companies using a range of financial metrics and references prior identified winners. That promotional content cited historical performance figures for specific companies as examples.
How the fee applies
- The charge is applied to image and video ads and messaging campaigns where ads are delivered.
- Rates are set by the audience country: 2% for the United Kingdom; 3% for France, Italy and Spain; 5% for Austria and Turkey.
- Effective date is July 1 and the fee covers other government levies beyond digital service taxes.