France votes 0.055 euro per GB tax on Netflix

French lawmakers voted on the 30th of October 2026 to tax data that content firms send to French homes. The rate is 0.055 euro per gigabyte.

The National Assembly adopted it as amendment I-1358 to the 2027 budget bill, its website shows.

The vote was 11 to 10, French tech sites Clubic and KultureGeek reported. The government and the lead budget member of the finance committee opposed it.

Socialist deputy Laurent Lhardit's amendment targets Google, Meta, Amazon, Netflix and Akamai

The amendment names five firms that send half of French data traffic, by the count of the regulator Arcep. Socialist deputy Laurent Lhardit and his group filed it on the 9th of October.

The firms that send the data pay the tax. Internet providers only count the gigabytes and tell the tax office every three months.

A cap at 15% of French sales or 2% of world sales

The tax stops at 15% of a company's sales in France or 2% of its total sales, the text says. The cap is meant for video and games, which send many gigabytes for each euro they earn.

Below we break down the 10 billion euros the authors expect

Arcep puts traffic sent to French subscribers at 200 billion gigabytes a year, the amendment says. At 0.055 euro, that is 11 billion euros a year, by our arithmetic.

The authors expect 10 billion euros, and the cap explains part of the gap. Minister David Amiel said about half could fall on smaller firms, some of them French, KultureGeek reported.

What comes next: the Senate, and the tax can still be dropped

This was one step in the first reading of the budget bill. The Senate still has to look at the bill, and the tax can be changed or cut before the final vote, Clubic reported.

The same idea, amendment CF365, failed in the finance committee earlier in October, MacGeneration reported on the 10th of October.

Key facts

Adopted by the National Assembly on the 30th of October 2026, 11 votes to 10, per Clubic.

0.055 euro per gigabyte, paid by the companies that send the data.

Capped at 15% of French sales or 2% of world sales.

Authors expect 10 billion euros a year.