“French investigators raided Google’s Paris headquarters on Tuesday as part of a tax evasion inquiry, the financial prosecutor’s office said,” Reuters reports.
“Investigators from the financial prosecutors office and France’s central office against corruption and tax fraud, accompanied by 25 IT specialists, took part in the raid,” Reuters reports. “‘The investigation aims to verify whether Google Ireland Ltd has a permanent base in France and if, by not declaring parts of its activities carried out in France, it failed its fiscal obligations, including on corporate tax and value added tax,’ the prosecutor’s office said in statement. Google has based its regional headquarters in Dublin where corporate tax rates are lower than elsewhere in Europe.”
Reuters reports, “France is seeking some 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in back taxes from U.S. Internet giant Google, criticized for its use of aggressive tax optimization techniques, another finance ministry source had said in February.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: French government: How can we twist the laws in order to scrape up even more cash to flush down les toilettes?
As per Apple, the company followed the law when paying their taxes (very likely the case is the same with Alphabet):
There was no special deal that we cut with Ireland. We simply followed the laws in the country over the 35 years that we have been in Ireland. If the question is, was there ever a ‘quid pro quo’ that we were trying to strike with the Irish government – that was never the case. We’ve always been very transparent with the Irish government that we wanted to be a good corporate citizen… If countries change the tax laws, we will abide by the new laws and we will pay taxes according to those laws. – Apple CFO Luca Maestri
SEE ALSO:
EU lays down the law on corporate tax deals as Apple probe continues – May 19, 2016
Apple cash move will not end EU tax probe – April 11, 2016
Analyst: Apple investors unconcerned about potential EU tax bill – April 5, 2016
EU’s Vestager says will not complete tax inquiries of Apple, others in second quarter – May 5, 2015
U.S. demands EU reconsider tax probes of its companies – February 12, 2016
U.S. Treasury official to meet EU antitrust team over Apple tax deals – January 29, 2016
Apple and Google stand by Europe tax deals; Rupert Murdoch weighs in – January 27, 2016
Apple could trigger global tax war, potential breakdown of the international tax system – January 27, 2016
Apple CEO Cook lobbies EU antitrust chief over Irish back taxes – January 21, 2016
Think Ireland’s corporate tax is unfair? Wave goodbye to Apple and thousands of jobs if it’s changed – November 14, 2015
Apple announces 1,000 new jobs in Ireland as EU tax ruling nears – November 11, 2015
Apple tax probe won’t hurt Ireland, Finance Minister Noonan says – October 5, 2015
EU’s Vestager says will not complete tax inquiries of Apple, others in second quarter – May 5, 2015
Apple warns of potential ‘material’ financial damage from European tax probe – April 29, 2015
Apple may have to pay Ireland 10 years of back taxes – April 30, 2015
EU’s plans to tackle corporate tax avoidance hits first roadblocks — February 12, 2015
Ireland’s Prime Minister: Apple has nothing to fear from end of ‘Double Irish’ tax avoidance strategy – November 4, 2014
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
The French are busy invading a corporation instead of focusing their attention on raiding the homes of terrorists especially the ones who recently carried out the awful attacks on their country.
The problem isn’t tax revenue. The problem is the massive wasting of tax revenue.
Perhaps in your black and white world, your perceptions lead you to that erroneous conclusion. While certainly there is much waste, there is also no question that demands for government services are greater than ever. As the population grows out of control, everyone wants clean air, clean water, police protection, emergency services, air transport, efficient transportation systems, parklands, protection from security, and so forth. All things that corporations can’t or won’t provide. Moreover, as the postwar generations in the USA wasted resources with impunity and brainwashed succeeding generations that they too can have everything they want no money down, personal and governmental credit cards alike are now staggeringly deep in debt. What have US-based corporations done in response? They closed down factories in the USA and increased advertising spending to give Americans the illusion that cheap plastic disposable junk at the local Walmart is the sign of affluence and freedom. Big Oil convinced their puppets in congress to use American troops to protect private oil pipelines and tankers all over the world so that Americans at home could buy enormous SUVs without worrying too much about fueling the damn things.
What seems to be you identify as waste in the federal government is demanded by a populace that wants everything handed to them on a silver — no, make that injection molded plastic – platter. That way we can toss it in a landfill instead of taking the time to polish the sliver.
If you want your government to be efficient, you have to stop voting in corporate puppets or idiot politicians who spend all their time fundraising for their re-election campaigns and living rock star lifestyles on the public dime. Both corrupt political parties are equally to blame for feeding the public what they want to hear rather than making the hard decisions required to run a nation.
If you disagree, then please show me the plan your party has to balance the national budget. We have been waiting since Eisenhower for your party to be fiscally responsible like you claim they are, and it hasn’t happened yet.
The government is not your mommy.
People like you, who think government is their mommy are the problem and the reason the U.S. is in debt to the tune of $19.27 trillion and counting. Social Security, established in 1935 by a Socialist Democrat, is the most costly item in the federal budget.
Social Security is a misnomer. It is not security. It is subsistence at the best, poverty, depression, and suicide at the worst. It is a waste. It is a horrible return on capital. Literally emblematic of wasted money and, ultimately, wasted lives. Another government program failure. Of course, the dumbed-down citizenry laps it up and wants this fiasco untouched, so they can continue to live and die poor. We should begin the long road to privatizing “social security” immediately. The government is not your mommy. And making our money WORK for us, instead of being WASTED by government is the key to extricating ourselves from this nanny state mess.
The Trump Tax Plan Is Revenue Neutral. The Trump Tax Plan Ends The Unfair Death Tax. Trump’s plan attacks U.S. debt and deficit by vigorously eliminating waste, fraud and abuse in the Federal government, ending redundant government programs, and growing the economy to increase tax revenues.
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions
No, government is not my mommy, and I never claimed it to be. But people of your ilk demand more weapons, more roads, and more corporate welfare incessantly. You regularly come here to denigrate anyone who doesn’t carry water for the corrupt GOP.
I am still waiting for your balanced budget proposal. Perhaps you can get to that after your lobbyist meetings.
Interesting that you chose to attack the social security program. You obviously are not interested in facts, but the reason the program still exists is because citizens overwhelmingly want it.
Educate yourself:
http://www.cbpp.org/research/social-security-keeps-22-million-americans-out-of-poverty-a-state-by-state-analysis
While certainly not perfect, it has definitely improved the lives of millions of people. Before social security, people just became bums and died on the street — and private companies certainly don’t care about that any more than you do. Why don’t you take the time to talk to an elderly person who relies on social security before blasting out your narrow-minded greedy propaganda, you heartless bastard?
Make Donald Drumph Again.
I have one more word for pajama boys like you:
Venezuela.
Denmark
Finland
Sweden
Norway
Holland
They’re not bad and fairly centre to centre left.
Scandinavian countries have certain socialist characteristics such as high taxes and extensive welfare systems. However, these countries have relatively capitalistic markets. Scandinavian businesses are mostly free from regulation, nationalization and protectionism.
Denmark ranks higher than the US in business freedom, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, property freedom and freedom from corruption.
If Denmark were one of the US states, it would rank tenth among the poorest states for per capita GDP.
Finland ranks higher than the US in business freedom, monetary freedom, investment freedom, fiscal freedom, property freedom and freedom from corruption.
Finland would come in fifth among the poorest if it were a US state.
Iceland ranks a little lower than the US in most of these key indicators. It’s close, though. Remember also that Iceland has a smaller total population (320,000) than Wichita, KS.
Norway ranks higher than the US in trade freedom, property freedom and freedom from corruption.
Sweden ranks higher than the US in business freedom, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom, property freedom and freedom from corruption.
Sweden would be the seventh-poorest as a state of the US.
Scandinavian countries have fairly capitalistic business environments. It is foolish and naive to point to any Scandinavian country and call it an example of socialism working.
We can also look at government spending as a percentage of GDP. In the “capitalist” United States, government spending is equal to roughly 40% of the national GDP. In the “socialist” Norway, government spending is equal to roughly 46% of the national GDP.
It is dishonest to compare Norway to the US and call one an example of successful socialism and the other an example of failed capitalism when both governments spend similar amounts of money on a percentage basis.
The United States as a whole ranks higher in economic output per person than every European Union nation except for the tax haven economy of Switzerland. Denmark, Sweden and Finland all ranked significantly lower than the United States.
People in Scandinavia make less money before taxes and after taxes.
United States:
Average disposable income: 31,410 US Dollars
Average gross income: 42,028 US Dollars
Norway:
Average disposable income: 25,224 US Dollars
Average gross income: 37,094 US Dollars
Finland:
Average yearly income: 24,958 US Dollars
Sweden:
Average yearly income: 22,387 US Dollars
Denmark:
Average yearly income: 23,213 US Dollars
Iceland:
Average yearly income: 22,387 US Dollars
On top of that, Scandinavian countries have some of the highest costs of living in Europe. These facts completely destroy the erroneous argument that liberals like to make about individuals living better in Scandinavia than they do in the United States.
High taxes do not help the poor; economic growth does.
Suicide rankings compared:
• Finland: 5th in the world
• Denmark: 11th in the world
• Sweden: 12th in the world
• Norway: 13th in the world
• Iceland: 15th in the world
• United States: 18th in the world
Scandinavia is not an example of successful socialism by any measure. It’s not a terrible place to live, but it’s clearly not the utopia that foolish liberals love to make it out to be.
Thank you for playing. Enjoy your parting gift of a clue.
Comparing apples to oranges with random nationwide statistics doesn’t even come close to telling the whole story.
Take out any leading city in the USA and the statistics would be dramatically different. And we all know that the wealth on Wall Street is a house of cards.
Meanwhile, all these relatively tiny nations with their heads screwed on straight are very happy investing in health and education because in the end, that is the best investments you can make. Helping your neighbor results in a better neighborhood for everyone.
First Then, on the other hand, thinks that if he lives in the USA in a gilded gated neighborhood and the rest of the city is a slum,
that’s perfectly acceptable because the average statistics are still great. And he can afford lots of guns. Is that the world in which you truly want to live? I’d much rather have the slum dwellers get educated and get good jobs, even if that costs me more in taxes.
Nobody is arguing that poor government efficiency is ever acceptable. So shall we work to improve government responsiveness and efficiency, or do you want to burn down the government and live in the lawless wild west? First seems confused as to what century we live.
Enjoy your government-enabled internet, First Then.
The real story is health and
Without capitalists, the Internet would be nothing of note.
The internet is rapidly becoming a cesspool of advertising, trackers, and stalkers. Just look at this site, hypocritically attacking Google while being its customer. If the future of the internet is Google Adsense, FaceBook profiling, and hacker threats, I want none of it.
All of those countries see a powerful role for the state as a matter of political philosophy. That was the lesson – which you obviously didn’t get.
Firster apparently doesn’t understand that national averages are poor ways of characterizing the growing gulf between the rich and poor. As the corporatocracy grows in the USA, the middle class is slipping into the peasant class. Do you really think Trump cares? If he did, his business practices have never indicated so.
The investigation aims to verify whether…
So this was a HUNTING expedition. That sounds thoroughly illegal.
I’m no Google fan. But where’s the legal justification for raiding Google? Is this actually a totalitarian invasion of Google’s rights on the level of the Nazi Gestapo?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestapo
Liberté! Egalité! Fraternité! I like that much better.
Yeah, I routinely have to press command+., just because the page keeps loading and loading and loading at 90%. So whenever I navigate the site, I hear “RSS Link. 90% loaded. 90% loaded. 90% loaded…” until I press that lovely “stop!” keystroke. Also, I think this is just about as good as the world will ever be. Sure, it has problems, sure, there are stupid people in high positions, including candidates for president, but we should enjoy what we have now, before one of the candidates are elected and do something very stupid indeed.