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Committee hears bill to levy per-user tax on social media data collection; amendment clarifies scope
Summary
Chair Gomez introduced HF3117 to impose a per-user excise tax on social media platforms that collect Minnesota users' data; the committee adopted an A1 amendment clarifying references to social media platforms and then laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the 2025 taxes bill after extensive public testimony for and against.
The Minnesota House Taxes Committee on April 9 considered House File 3117, a bill by Chair Gomez that would impose a per-capita excise tax on social media platforms based on the number of monthly Minnesota users whose data the platforms collect.
Chair Gomez said the proposal is intended to make large tech platforms contribute toward the social costs of data-mining and algorithmic harms—particularly as they affect children and mental health—by taxing platforms that monetize usersAdata rather than relying solely on general taxes. "If you're using a service from a giant corporation and you're not paying for it, you are not the consumer, you are the product," Chair Gomez said during closing remarks.
The committee adopted an A1 amendment (described in committee as clarifying language to…
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