France: Paris police raid Google’s offices in €1.6 billion tax investigation

Parisian police have raided Google’soffices in the French capital, reportedly as part of an investigation into the company’s alleged tax evasion.

France is trying to get €1.6 billion in back taxes out of the company. As elsewhere in Europe, the authorities think Google owes a lot of money for having funnelled proceeds through its Irish subsidiary.

According to Le Parisien, the raid took place early this morning, with around 100 investigators taking part.

“We comply with the tax law in France as in every other country in which we operate,” Google said in a statement. “We are fully cooperating with the authorities in Paris to answer their questions, as always.”

The tax affair is not the only worry for Google in France at the moment. The French competition authority on Monday launched an inquiry into the exploitation of Internet users’ data in the online ad industry, in which Google is one of the major players, and the firm is also in a legal fight with the French privacy watchdog, CNIL, over its application of the so-called right to be forgotten.

Full Content: Fortune

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