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BriefSOCIETY

[Society]+[Progress]: Finland's Attention Tax Proposal Enters Parliamentary Review Stage

The Finnish Parliament is formally reviewing an innovative tax proposal requiring social media platforms to pay an 'attention tax' based on the total time Finnish users spend on algorithmic recommendation feeds.

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"If you're not paying for the product, you are the product." This Silicon Valley proverb is being converted into tax policy by Finnish lawmakers. In May 2030, the Finnish Parliament officially began reviewing a world-first "attention tax" proposal.

The proposal requires social media platforms operating in Finland to pay taxes proportional to the total time their Finnish users spend on algorithmically generated feeds. The tax rate is set at 0.05 euros per user per hour, with revenue earmarked for Finland's digital literacy education and mental health services.

The proposal's sponsor, a Finnish Member of Parliament, said: "Social media platforms' business models are built on capturing user attention. The social costs of this business model—the youth mental health crisis, filter bubbles, political polarization—are currently borne by public finances. The attention tax is about making platforms pay for the externalities of their business models."

Meta and TikTok's European policy teams strongly opposed the proposal, arguing it violates EU single market principles. The Finnish Parliament is expected to vote on the proposal in autumn 2030.