The European Commission is seeking additional funding from major US technology firms including Apple, Meta, and Google. According to reporting by the Financial Times based on conversations with six officials involved in the deliberations, the approach under consideration would sidestep a direct digital tax that risks provoking the Trump administration.
Rather than singling out technology companies, the Commission intends to introduce a broader levy affecting large corporations across all sectors. This strategy would allow Brussels to extract revenue from tech giants without explicitly naming them as targets, thereby reducing the likelihood of transatlantic tensions.
The framework being considered draws from an earlier initiative known as the Corporate Resource for Europe, or CORE. Under this mechanism, any enterprise operating within the EU and generating annual revenues exceeding €100 million would contribute a fixed annual payment to the EU budget. Current contribution levels span from €100,000 to €750,000 yearly, though for large multinational corporations this represents only a marginal portion of their total revenue. Brussels is now examining methods to substantially raise these figures.
Some (EU) capitals are opposed to a pure digital tax because they don't want to upset the Americans, and many more are opposed to CORE
EU official, speaking to the Financial Times
The official indicated that expanding the scope of the levy to encompass virtually all sizable enterprises would enable Brussels to concentrate resources on technology leaders without explicitly identifying them.
The Commission unveiled CORE in July 2025 as part of its broader initiative to identify alternative funding mechanisms for the EU. According to Reuters, documents that surfaced at that time demonstrated that a targeted digital tax focused on American technology companies had been abandoned in favor of a more comprehensive approach.
Implementation of any EU taxation measure requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states, meaning each national government possesses veto authority over proposals.
Levying taxes on American technology companies has remained contentious with Washington. President Donald Trump has regularly objected to EU regulations affecting Big Tech, and previous European digital tax initiatives have encountered obstacles due to threats of American trade retaliation.
Source: The Next Web
