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UK Public Backs Digital Tax Hike
22 Jun
Summary
- Two-thirds of Britons support increasing digital services tax.
- Current 2% tax targets large tech firms like Meta and Google.
- Most Britons prefer to shop and work with fair-tax companies.
A significant majority of the British public favors a higher digital services tax for large multinational technology companies. The polling indicates that 67% of respondents believe the government should increase these levies to boost the overall tax contribution from tech giants in the UK. The existing 2% digital services tax, implemented in 2020, applies to search engine, social media, and marketplace companies with substantial UK or global sales.
This levy, which generated approximately £800 million for the exchequer in 2024-25, has faced criticism and opposition, particularly from the US. However, the Fair Tax Foundation's research highlights a consistent public sentiment, with support for such a tax remaining high over recent years. The study also found that three-quarters of Britons prefer to patronize or work for companies that can prove they are paying their fair share of taxes, underscoring a strong public value placed on tax justice.
