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Google's 'Dutch Sandwich' Shielded 16 Billion Euros From Tax (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the what's-happening? dept.

Google moved 15.9 billion euros ($19.2 billion) to a Bermuda shell company in 2016, saving at least $3.7 billion in taxes that year, regulatory filings in the Netherlands show. From a report: Google uses two structures, known as a "Double Irish" and a "Dutch Sandwich," to shield the majority of its international profits from taxation. The setup involves shifting revenue from one Irish subsidiary to a Dutch company with no employees, and then on to a Bermuda mailbox owned by another Ireland-registered company. The amount of money Google moved through this tax structure in 2016 was 7 percent higher than the year before, according to company filings with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce dated Dec. 22 and which were made available online Tuesday.

4 of 289 comments (clear)

  1. The real injustice here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Is that perfectly-legal tax-avoidance strategies like this one aren't available to lower and middle class employees.

  2. Re:Nice by sycodon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Instead of Don't be Evil it's Don't Pay Taxes.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  3. Re:If the laws allow them to do this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can't afford to bribe politicians like google can.

  4. Re:Nice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Google spends money on AI research, robotics, parallel computing, and information access.

    cut

    I prefer that Google keeps as much money as they can.

    Google can do that precisely because of the having the security of a working democratic nation state in which to operate. You think they could do all the AI research, robotics, parallel computing and information access in a failed state like Somalia or Yemen ? That has a cost, it's called taxes. Don't wanna pay taxes ? You're free to offshore your entire company to Somalia. Lets see how that works out ok ?