‘It is a shakedown’: The NRA director taking on Labor’s big tech tax

August 21, 2026 — 5:00am

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In this week’s On Background, more moves at the ABC, a colourful US anti-tax activist takes on Australia, Stokes returns, and Q A’s replacement program traverses familiar ground.

Just when it is finally getting off the ground, one of America’s most colourful anti-tax advocates Grover Norquist has taken aim at Labor’s News Media Bargaining Incentive.

Norquist, whose Americans for Tax Reform organisation is a staunch opponent of any and all tax increases, said in a statement this week that Australia has found “a new way to tax American success”.

He wants tech companies and media companies to negotiate freely, without the government “thumbing the scale”. That sounds lovely, but the problem has been that tech giants like Meta have done just about everything possible to avoid coming to the table with meaningful offers voluntarily, and even pulled news altogether to evade a previous version of the law. Add that to the fact that those same companies targeted by the new levy have also found many (legal) ways of sharply minimising their tax payments on these shores, and Grover’s rhetoric starts to look a bit thin. Of course, if the laws go through, Nine, the owner of this masthead stands to benefit.

Labor backs down on late change to get news scheme across the line

“Canberra calls it support for journalism. It is a shakedown, and American companies are the mark,” said Norquist’s outfit on Tuesday. His other roles include a directorship with the National Rifle Association (NRA). For four decades he has championed conservative causes in the US capital and has been hell-bent on reducing the size of government. It comes as no surprise that he wants to put an end to a government policy to redirect funds from America’s biggest public companies to our own media........

© Brisbane Times