Meta in Australia raked in more than $1.7 billion in gross advertising revenue over the course of 2025. However, 87 per cent of this money generated from Australian customers was sent overseas to other Meta-owned businesses.
The $1.74 billion Meta received through advertising money was up from $1.46 billion the previous year—despite what has been described as a tough advertising market. Of this, only $223.9 million in net revenue stayed in the country.
This disparity results from Facebook Australia’s status as a “reseller” of services offered by its parent company, namely ad space. Google and Amazon operate on similar principles, though offer wider services including cloud technologies.
In Australia, all revenue from advertisers supported by Meta’s local teams in the country is subject to tax in Australia. These local teams consist of only 128 employees.
Even though Mark Zuckerberg’s media juggernaut sends most of its Australian revenue offshore, the company still paid the tax man $61.16 million in 2025. This was up from 2024, when Meta paid the ATO $48.58 million.
“Meta pays taxes as required in every country where we operate including Australia. We have consistently paid income tax in accordance with Australia’s taxation laws, and in the last financial years, at effective tax rates well above the statutory company income tax rate of 30 per cent. We take our tax obligations seriously and proactively engage with the ATO to ensure transparency in the taxes we pay in Australia and we remain committed to supporting local communities and businesses,” a Meta spokesperson told B&T.
Local broadcasters and publishers have struggled to compete against the major tech companies like Meta as advertising revenues have increasingly moved online and to social media.
But for Free TV Australia’s CEO, Bridget Fair, the issue runs deeper than Meta’s tax position
“The contrast couldn’t be starker. Global tech platforms like Meta are sucking profits out of Australia – extracting billions from our advertising market while shifting revenue offshore and paying almost no tax,” Fair argued to B&T.
“Meanwhile, commercial TV broadcasters invest $1.625 billion every year delivering trusted news, live and free sport, and Australian entertainment – made here, employing Australians, telling Australian stories. Yet it’s Free TV broadcasters who are slugged with the Commercial Broadcasting Tax, a $50 million annual impost on top of regular company tax. Global platforms hoover up advertising revenue using Australia’s taxpayer-funded NBN, but don’t pay a cent of CBT. Australians deserve a viable, sustainable local media sector and abolishing the CBT is the obvious place to start fixing it.”
Meta’s latest financial accounts comes as the Albanese government is preparing to table a draft of the News Bargaining Incentive in parliament this week. The proposed draft, the News Bargaining Incentive, aims to formalise how major digital publishers financially support Aussie publishers.
Meta walked away from the code last year.
The news follows Naomi Shepherd departing Meta. Group industry director Shepherd, one of Australia’s leading tech executives, led Facebook’s client-facing teams across Australia and New Zealand.
