After the rumors circulated in the morning, some clarifications are coming on the Google case. Investigative sources cited by the Reuters agency affirm that the Guardia di Finanza of Milan served a report of findings to the top management of Mountain View in which the amount that the US company allegedly escaped to the Italian tax authorities between 227 is quantified at 2009 million euros and 2013 through its Irish subsidiary Google Ireland ltd.
The Fiamme Gialle will make the results of the tax audit available to the public prosecutor's office of the Lombard capital which last February launched an investigation against the Irish search engine company, with the hypothesis of the crime of fraudulent declaration.
Another source cited by the same agency explains that, at the end of the assessment, the Tax Unit of the Guardia di Finanza is contesting Google Ireland ltd as having one of its "hidden permanent establishment in Italy".
In the face of total revenues ascertained in Italy from 2009 to 2013 of over one billion euros, Finance maintains that the company has not declared taxable income of around 100 million. The Ires tax which is therefore deemed to have been evaded (27%) is around 27 million. The financiers also allege the failure to apply withholding taxes on royalties paid to foreign companies (Google). These withholdings, compared to about 600 million, are calculated at about 200 million. As a result, the disputed total figure of 227 million.
The source specifies that this from the Gdf is a dispute and not an agreement, as was the one reached by Apple with the Revenue Agency at the end of the year. This assessment will now go entirely to the Revenue Agency which will contact Google and see if there is room for an "assessment assessment".
The source further specifies that these 227 million are not even yet the final bill, which is instead up to the Revenue Agency, which will have to calculate and add both interest and penalties. “These are figures that could be very substantial,” the source points out.
Finally, the source concludes, the assessment will also be sent to the Milan prosecutor's office, in support of the ongoing criminal investigation against the managers of Google Ireland ltd.
