Google’s European troubles continue as its Spain offices get raided by tax officials

By Lulu Chang June 30, 2016

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hot on the heels of the announcement that the EU would be leveling its third set of antitrust charges against the tech behemoth, Google’s offices in Spain have been raided as part of an ongoing tax probe. The raid was the second in as many months, after Google’s French headquarters were also recently raided “on suspicion of tax evasion,” Reuters reports.

For its part, Google has insisted that the company has engaged in no wrongdoing — in Spain or anywhere else. “We comply with the tax law in Spain, as in every other country in which we operate. We are cooperating fully with the authorities in Madrid to answer their questions, as always,” a Google spokesperson told CNNMoney.

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But clearly, authorities aren’t on the same page. According to Reuters, the Thursday raid was given the green light by a court in the Spanish capital of Madrid.

The Silicon Valley-based company continues to find itself in hot water over tax laws. While the firm reports most sales in Ireland, where taxes are very low, other countries are now looking to get their cut. A recent settlement saw Google agree to pay the U.K. government $185 million for more than a decade of unpaid taxes (beginning in 2005), but British authorities say that the sum, while hefty, is still a “sweetheart deal.” Italy also appears to be investigating similar action against the company.

As per its last earnings report, which was released in April, the tech giant reported that worldwide revenue was a staggering $20.26 billion in a single quarter. So if there is tax to be paid, there’s a lot of it.

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