French budget amendments proposed AI subscription and token charges, but none passed
French lawmakers proposed several tax-related amendments tied to artificial intelligence in the country’s 2027 budget process, including one aimed at AI subscriptions, another covering token-based billing costs, and a third that would have expanded the digital services tax to AI companies. None of those measures is currently in force, and the proposals cited in the report have already been rejected. The amendments emerged as France faces mounting fiscal pressure. The country’s budget deficit is projected at 5.4% of GDP this year, above the European Union’s 3% threshold, while public debt is expected to reach 121.7% of GDP next year. The government is also working through a €54 billion budget adjustment package. According to Touteleurope, the broader budget plan already includes new tax bases such as aviation kerosene, sugary processed foods, and a VAT increase on television subscriptions from 10% to 20%. The report also notes that earlier amendments on crypto-to-stablecoin gains and a per-gigabyte traffic tax cleared first-reading votes in the National Assembly, but those measures are not law either. In this case, the AI-related amendments were either rejected on the spot or blocked in committee, leaving France with no enacted AI subscription tax or token fee levy at this stage.
