Meta introduces an advertising tax: rates up to 5% for some countries
Starting July 1, Meta is introducing additional fees for advertising accounts targeting users in certain jurisdictions. The reason is the growing pressure from digital services taxes (DST) and other local obligations that the company is forced to pass on to advertisers. This is a direct signal to the market: large platforms are no longer willing to absorb fiscal costs amid a tightening regulatory environment.
The fee rate will depend solely on the geographic location of the audience, not on the country where the advertiser's business is registered. In Austria and Turkey, it will be 5%, in France, Italy, and Spain — 3%, and in the UK — 2%. Meta emphasizes that the list of countries and payment amounts may be revised in the future, leaving room for further adaptation to changing tax regimes.
This decision is part of a global trend where digital giants shift the burden of local taxes onto end consumers of advertising services. For the crypto industry, where advertising on Facebook and Instagram remains a key channel for driving traffic, such changes mean increased operating costs. Advertisers in the DeFi, NFT, and exchange sectors will have to recalculate budgets, especially when targeting European and Turkish audiences.
Expert opinion: Meta is acting rationally, but for crypto businesses, this is another signal to diversify advertising channels. Given that rates may rise and the list of countries may expand, reliance on a single platform becomes risky. I recommend testing alternative platforms in advance, such as Twitter or specialized crypto media, to mitigate the impact of these fees on margins.