Burst the peace between Google and the taxman Italian. Indeed, no. The Internet giant, according to rumors published by Corriere della Sera, will pay 320 million in taxes, recognizing a taxable income of 800 million produced in Italy in the last five years. The decision, surprisingly, would have been taken at the end of a meeting between Google's legal staff, magistrates and the Guardia di Finanza. Director of the agreement is Professor Paola Severino, former Minister of Justice in the Monti government. But Google rectifies:”The news is not true, there is no agreement as written. We continue to cooperate with the tax authorities,” a spokesman told Ansa. The Milan prosecutor's office is also cautious: "At the moment of the control activities, no agreements have been finalized with the company". In a note, Bruti Liberati confirms that tax investigations are underway against the group, at the end of which "the final assessments will be drawn".
According to rumors about the agreement reported by Corriere della Sera, the Californian giant of the network would instead be ready to pay around 320 million euros in taxes on the 800 million it recognizes as taxable product in Italy from 2008 to 2013. The dispute arose from the fact that "Profits from advertising sales in our country were recorded in Ireland and Bermuda".
Google therefore chooses to lower the voltage level with the Italian State on the issue ofabuse of law?This is the crime due to the distorted use of existing rules, such as to generate an undue tax advantage. The issue is well known and concerns the practice adopted by Google as well as by other multinational giants: despite producing many profits in Italy (or other states in the huge galaxy), they end up paying little taxes in the country in which they operate (1,8 million in 2013 , in the case of Google in Italy) by triangulating revenues on countries with greater tax benefits such as Ireland.
An issue that has generated strong tensions with European states, so much so that France, for example, has come to propose a law on the issue of copyright of editorial content used by the search engine with the clear intention of applying pressure to obtain more responsible tax.
In Italy on the road to Google prosecutor Isidoro Palma got in the way with the Gdf. Together they sifted through the advertising collected by Google in Italy and verified that the proceeds produced and collected here were transferred to Irish Google which then passed them on to a Dutch subsidiary and then transferred them to another Irish parent company of the former and from here arrive on two Google subsidiaries in Bermuda.
At Google they would have been recognized some costs but the dispute by the Public Prosecutor and the Gdf concerned the substance of the mechanism adopted. Google Italy would thus be ready to accept an assessment for adhesion of 160 million a year from 2008 to 2013, which would lead the American giant to write a check – including Ires, Irap, (reduced) penalties and interest, equal to about 40% of the taxable amount that emerged, or 320 million in taxes on 800 million in contested revenues.
