Amazon Raises Fees For Spanish Companies Due To New Tax

Amazon is planning to hike fees for Spanish companies using its platform by 3 percent from April, according to a Reuters report, since the country’s government imposed a new digital tax.

A spokesperson for Amazon said the so-called “Google tax” would end up hitting users. Spain began charging the fee on Jan. 21.

The move is one of the many ways world leaders have been looking to tax Big Tech companies on the revenue generated in their economies in lack of a wider agreement to deal with their increasing influence.

According to the spokesperson, Amazon “advocates a global approach” instead of more taxes by individual governments. Amazon will also take action in France, where a similar tax has taken effect, Reuters writes.

PYMNTS reported in its Big Tech Compliance Tracker that the Big Tech companies have been looking at ways to accommodate the new taxes. Apple and Google introduced plans to pass on the taxes to consumers and advertisers respectively.

Global authorities have seen the growing power and influence of Big Tech and have been looking at ways to impose roadblocks. The European Union was reported to be comprising a “hit list” of companies that could face tougher regulations in the future for such activities as gathering and using data. According to the reports, there were around 20 companies being examined, including big Silicon Valley firms. The companies were to be selected based on their number of users and their market share of revenue.

The report found issue with the way some companies like Google acted as “gatekeepers,” controlling access to markets and effectively being able to “pick winners and losers” through strategies like charging fees, adding oppressive contract terms and taking valuable data from the people and businesses relying on them. According to the report, those types of activities can result in the creation of monopolies.