After ten years of back taxes and contributions worth 500 million euro, Apple is trying to close the deal with the French taxman. An agreement has been defined with Paris to settle the previous unpaid taxes.
Sources close to the French branch of the Cupertino multinational confirm the agreement, but neither the Directorate General of Public Finances nor the Ministry of Public Accounts in Paris have done the same, invoking the 'tax secrecy'. Secret negotiations between Apple and Bercy's national and international audit department had begun several months ago. “But only at the end of December a confidential agreement has finally been reached,” says l'Express.
The American company should pay about 500 million euros, a figure reported to Agence France-Presse but not confirmed by Apple. “The French tax administration recently concluded a multi-year audit of the company's French accounts. The correction will be communicated in our public accounts”, the Cupertino company limited itself to communicating.
The tax issue also had in Italy of important implications. Apple three years ago paid about 318 million to close the dispute with the Revenue Agency, after having sold services in our country but billing in Ireland – Country in which he enjoyed advantageous taxation.
Added to this is the fine of 10 million that Italy inflicted on Apple for unfair trade practices. An episode that developed at the end of January, when the Lazio Regional Administrative Court denied the precautionary suspension of the provision as requested by Apple.
The story of Apple is not isolated. Other Web giants have also had serious disputes with the Italian tax authorities and beyond. Google , after a dispute that concerned the period 2002-2015, it reached an agreement with the Revenue Agency to which paid 306 million. The sum was agreed in May 2017. It also fell into the shirts of the French tax authorities Amazon which agreed 200 million euros in tax arrears over the period 2006-2010. These are extremely modest figures compared to the enormous turnover of Web companies and the battle between tax agencies and the giants of the new economy is destined to last much longer. However it is a first sign that something is changing.
