• Additional fees of 2–5% on Meta ads in some European countries

Meta, the owner of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, announced it will impose extra fees ranging from 2% to 5% on advertisers to offset digital service taxes introduced by certain European countries, following moves similar to Google and Amazon.

The fees will apply to image and video ads, as well as WhatsApp marketing campaigns, starting July 1, and will also cover any other government-imposed charges on ads.

“Until now, the company absorbed these extra costs. This change reflects our ongoing efforts to adapt to a shifting regulatory environment while complying with industry standards,” Meta said in an official post.

The exact fee depends on the location of the targeted audience, not the advertiser’s headquarters. Countries affected include the UK (2%), France, Italy, and Spain (3%), and Austria and Turkey (5%).

Digital service taxes, levied as a percentage of revenues earned by major tech companies in each country, have drawn criticism from the U.S. administration, which considers them discriminatory against American firms.