Meta to charge advertisers a fee to offset Europe's digital taxes

The ⁠fee, for image or video ads delivered on Meta platforms including WhatsApp click-to-message campaigns and marketing messages together with ads, will apply from July 1 and will also cover other government-imposed levies.

"Until now, Meta has covered these additional costs. These changes are part of Meta's ongoing effort to respond to the evolving regulatory landscape and align with ‌industry ⁠standards," the company said in the blog.

The location fees are determined by where the audience is located and not the advertisers' business location.

Meta listed six countries where the fees ⁠will apply, ranging from 2% in the United Kingdom to 3% in Fr ance, Italy and Spain and 5% in Austria and Turkey.

Digital ⁠taxes, levied as a percentage of the revenue earned by big tech companies in the individual countries, have ⁠drawn criticism from the U.S. administration, which said it discriminates against U.S. companies.

Bloomberg was the first to report about Meta's new location fees.