GoKawiilFrance's lower house narrowly passes per-gigabyte internet traffic tax
The National Assembly voted 11-10, with only 35 of 577 deputies present, to approve an amendment by Socialist deputy Laurent Lhardit taxing content providers 5.5 cents per gigabyte sent to French internet users. ISPs would track data flows and bill senders, with charges capped at 15% of French revenue or 2% of global revenue; supporters project €10 billion in annual revenue, drawing on regulator Arcep's estimate that five companies—Google, Meta, Amazon, Netflix and Akamai—generate about half of the 200 billion gigabytes delivered yearly.