French National Assembly adopts amendment to data tax of €0.055 per GB

French National Assembly members adopted amendment I-1358 on October 30, approving a levy of €0.055 per gigabyte on data transmitted by internet content providers, as part of the 2027 budget bill, with a narrow vote of 11 in favor, 10 against, and 14 abstentions among 35 voters. The amendment's passage does not finalize or enact the tax, and a key unresolved issue is how per-company taxable data volume will be calculated. Under the amendment's text, taxpayers are content providers that send data to French internet subscribers, not subscribers or access providers themselves, while internet operators would be required to aggregate and track data volumes sent by each company. The measure matters because it could impose significant new compliance and cost burdens on streaming, cloud, and other data-heavy platforms serving French users, though it still faces further legislative steps before taking effect. Watch for how lawmakers define the volume-calculation methodology and whether the provision survives the remaining budget process.