[Manuel_D]

Well, yeah it is a bad idea. Because if you tax links to your content Google will just stop linking to your content. Which is exactly what they're poised to do, as per TFA.

[willsmith72]

Or is this is all just bargaining and leverage before they make a deal, as they have elsewhere in the world

[datavirtue]

If you want less of something, tax it.

[giuseppe_petri]

Or provide a better alternative. Less stick, more carrot.