Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Big Tech Sees Limited Gains as India Scraps 'Google Tax'
Hindustan Times Lucknow
|March 28, 2025
India's impending move to abolish the 'Google tax' is unlikely to be a significant gain for America's Big Tech giants such as Google's parent Alphabet Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc.
NEW DELHI: However, the move is being widely viewed as an in-principle victory for Big Tech in India, while opening up the domestic market to more foreign e-commerce and small advertising firms.
India's decision to scrap Google tax from 1 April is also likely meant to demonstrate to US President Donald Trump that India is serious about addressing pain points in bilateral trade relations, and to extract concessions on reciprocal tariffs.
New Delhi introduced the 6% equalisation levy in 2016 to ensure that foreign tech giants earning huge sums in India contributed proportionately to the government exchequer. Meta and Alphabet senior executives, however, pointed out that the levy was already inapplicable at large on how the platforms sell online advertisements in India.
This story is from the March 28, 2025 edition of Hindustan Times Lucknow.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Hindustan Times Lucknow
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Goyal: Modi govt’s FTAs crafted in national interest
The Modi government's trade agreements are “well crafted” and “thought through” in national interest unlike the Congress-led UPA regime that “voluntarily” tried to open Indian market for competitors like China, Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, adding that India is currently discussing free trade deals with the EU, the US, Chile, Peru, New Zealand and Oman.
2 mins
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Bihar ph-1 nominations end, but INDIA stand-off doesn't
A total of 1,698 candidates filed their papers for the crucial first phase of the assembly elections in Bihar as the chaotic nomination process for the 121 seats that go to the polls on November 6 closed on Friday with no clarity over a seat deal among the constituents of the Opposition Grand Alliance.
1 min
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Taliban vow to hit back after saying Pak violated ceasefire
Pakistan carried out strikes in a border province in Afghanistan late Friday, breaking a ceasefire that had brought two days of calm to the border, a senior Taliban official told AFP, warning that Kabul would “retaliate.” Ten civilians were reportedly killed in the strike.
2 mins
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
HAL helped IAF 24 hrs a day in Op Sindoor: Rajnath
Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday hailed round-the-clock support provided by aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to the Indian Air Force during the four-day military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May, adding that the firm ensured that the country's fighter jets and helicopters were battle-ready at all times.
1 min
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Veterans take centre stage in Bihar political battleground
In line with the local adage ‘saatha so paatha (men are hale and hearty even at sixty)’ Bihar's politics has always rewarded endurance more than novelty. Even as younger faces crowd the political arena, a formidable band of veteran leaders—many well past 70—continues to shape the state's electoral story. Age, far from being a liability, has become a marker of political weight.
1 mins
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
KEY ACCUSED IN SABARIMALA GOLD CASE ARRESTED
In a major development in the case involving the alleged theft of gold assets from the Sabarimala temple, the high court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday announced the arrest of the key accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, a Bengaluru-based priest-turned-businessman.
1 min
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
SMBC rules out raising stake in Yes Bank beyond 25%, shares fall
Japanese lender Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation has no immediate plans to raise its stake in India’s Yes Bank beyond 24.99%, a senior executive at the bank told Reuters on Friday.
1 min
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Don't fluff with idli
If you find idlis boring, blame the chef. Making the perfect one is a delicate art of balancing softness and density. And let’s be honest, only South India nails it
4 mins
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
China missile features to be added in Astra Mark-2
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has decided to incorporate advanced features from the Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missile into its indigenous Astra Mark-2 programme, following a detailed technical analysis of an unexploded missile fired by a Pakistani jet during Operation Sindoor in May, people aware of the matter said.
2 mins
October 18, 2025
Hindustan Times Lucknow
Centre orders judicial probe in Leh violence, calls for dialogue
The central government on Friday announced a judicial probe into the September 24 violence in Leh that left four people dead. The probe will be headed by a former Supreme Court judge, officials aware of the details said.
1 mins
October 18, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size