After an agreement between Bercy and telecoms operators, the Ifer tax will be capped in 2024. A decision which could indirectly impact the prices of fiber offers in the right direction.
You may not know it, but telecom operators are subject, among other things, to a tax called IferFor flat rate taxation on network companies. Applied to fixed and mobile networks, it is proportional to the latter. Clear, the more an operator develops its own, the more it must pay. In 2019, it was extended to Fiber networks. But in order not to slow down its development, a 5-year exemption has been put in place. It therefore ends in 2024 and a discussion between Bercy and Bouygues Telecom, SFR, Free and Orange has opened regarding the fixed Ifer.
When we know that billions of euros are needed just to protect fiber cables from breakage, we understand why operators wanted to prevent the bill from climbing when the tax was introduced. An agreement was reached for capping Ifer fixed at 400 million euros for 2024. This should allow the Fiber network to develop more peacefully. This is all the more important as ADSL is doomed to disappear in the years to come.
The Ifer tax paid by operators is capped in 2024, what does that change for you?
At first glance, this news seems to only concern telecom operators. However, it is possible thatit indirectly impacts their customers. Already, Fiber will be able to expand across the territory without the brake that a high tax could have created. Then, regular price increases like at Bouygues could be limited or even stop for a while. Internet service providers will have less need for pass on the tax on their prices.
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It is of course too early to know if this is the direction that operators will take. We must also remember that other factors come into play when deciding whether or not to increase the price of any package. Answer next year.
Source: Les Echos