Cato Daily Podcast
Canada's Link Tax Delivers Dire Warning
Nov 30, 2023
Paul Matzko of Cato discusses Canada's link tax and its impact on print news outlets and tech platforms. The podcast explores the misdiagnosis of newspaper revenue decline, challenges faced by local news media, and the need for innovative alternatives.
08:59
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Quick takeaways
- The link tax wrongly blames big tech platforms for print media's financial struggles instead of recognizing the disruptive impact of platforms like Craigslist.
- Canada's implementation of a link tax has resulted in a news embargo by Google and meta, highlighting the misguided attempt to extract revenue from tech giants without considering their value to news websites.
Deep dives
The Misdiagnosis of the Link Tax
The podcast discusses how the idea of the link tax, which aims to have big tech platforms pay for sharing links with internet users, is fundamentally flawed. It wrongly blames platforms like Google and Facebook for the financial struggles of print media outlets, when in reality, it was the rise of platforms like Craigslist that disrupted their revenue streams. Canada's recent implementation of a link tax has resulted in a full news embargo by Google and meta, severely impacting Canadian news outlets and leading to layoffs and potential closures. The misguided attempt to extract revenue from tech giants fails to recognize the significant value these platforms provide to news websites with global distribution and costless exposure.
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