Facebook, agreement with the Italian tax authorities: it will pay 100 million in taxes

After Amazon, Google and Apple has also arrived peace between Facebook and the Italian taxman. Facebook Italia has in fact signed an assessment with adhesion thus closing the pending disputes concerning the period 2010-2016.

According to the provisions of the agreement, the US giant - through its Italian subsidiary - will pay the Italian tax authorities further 100 million euros.

"The definition process between the Revenue Agency and Facebook - explains a note from the Revenue Agency - was based on a partial reconfiguration of the initial disputes, without any reduction of the disputed amounts, and will give rise to a payment of over 100 million euros in total referable to Facebook Italy Srl".

As mentioned, before Facebook, the other American Hi Tech giants had also found a way to settle their disputes in Italy, by paying lump sums to the tax authorities. In the case of Amazon, the company led by Jeff Bezos paid 100 million, while the amount paid by Google it amounts to 306 million euros relating to the period 2012-2015. Three years ago instead Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), paid 318 million.

We recall that last December Facebook announced its intention to radically change its "fiscal conduct", changing the method of billing profits within the first 6 months of 2019. The purpose of this initiative is to show itself more transparent and put silence the controversies that concern all the big names in the sector at an international level.

Facebook, like the other Over The Tops, invoices a large part of the advertising it sells throughout Europe through a company which is based in Ireland, enjoying the much lower level of taxation guaranteed by a "tax haven" like Dublin. By doing so, pay less tax elsewhere. Taking a practical example, in 2017 the popular social network recorded 10,9 million in revenues from sales and services in Italy, paying a total of 120 euros in taxes on operating income (there were 267 in 2016).