Amazon may have EU tax troubles.
The EU has ordered Luxembourg to hand over details of its tax agreement (paywall) with the online retail giant. Apple, Starbucks, and Fiat are also being investigated
Amazon EU Sarl highlight its tax-efficient structure in Luxembourg, which reduced the company’s overall tax rate by 8 percentage points last year to 31.8 per cent, according to filings by the parent company
Starbucks came under fire in Britain in 2012 for paying royalties to its Dutch operation, which held some of its intellectual property. Apple’s tax affairs stirred disquiet last year after a US Senate committee claimed that Dublin allowed the maker of the iPhone to apply a corporate tax rate of 2 per cent or less.
An overhaul of the international tax rules for digital companies is planned by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
