Google coughs up €306m in Italy tax settlement

Rome: Google said yesterday that it would pay €306m ($334m) to settle a tax dispute in Italy, where it was under criminal investigation for booking profits generated in the country in Ireland.
In a move echoing a similar settlement with Apple in December 2015, Italy's tax agency said the payment settled Google's liabilities between 2009 and 2013, the period under investigation by Italy's Financial Police (GdF) coordinated by the chief public prosecutor in Milan.
The settlement also puts an end to separate disputes covering the periods of 2002-2006 and 2014-2015.
"We have also begun the process of drawing up an agreement that will ensure Google pays the correct taxes in Italy in the future," the tax agency said in a statement.
Google confirmed it had reached an agreement with the authorities without commenting on whether it accepted the revenue's calculations.
The company has defended the legality of channelling European earnings through its base in Ireland, which has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the European Union.
"Google and the Italian Revenue Agency have reached a settlement, resolving a tax inquiry for a period between 2002 and 2015 without litigation," a spokesman said.
"In addition to the corporation tax already paid in Italy for these years, Google will pay an additional €306m.
"Of this, over €303m has been attributed to Google Italy and less than €3m attributed to Google Ireland. We remain committed to Italy and will continue to help grow the online ecosystem."