Tax levy on streaming services like Netflix would ‘absolutely be passed onto consumer,’ says Patrick O’Donovan

The European law which allows member states to introduce a content levy, with the aim of funding Irish productions, was passed in 2018, but Mr O’Donovan has said the “reality” is that the charge would be passed onto the consumer and would not be “welcomed” in Washington.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, he said Irish people pay “an awful lot in this country at the moment for entertainment” through their television licence, the RTÉ “bailout”, or their direct debit to individual streaming services.

“This is an option that member states within the European Union have, some have decided to levy it, some have decided not to levy it. What I have decided to do is to put into legislation the concept of the levy, and the levy is zero,” he said.

Mr O’Donovan said the timing for such a levy “could not be worse” due to the current cost of living and the uncertainty introduced by the threat of tariffs by US President Donald Trump.

“With the cost of living, with the difficulties that…