Google’s corporation tax payment jumps to €27.7m

The amount of corporation tax Google paid in Ireland last year jumped by nearly €11m to €27.7m.

Google Ireland also saw a near-10% increase in annual turnover, from €15.5bn to €17bn, which was driven by increases in advertising generated by its websites.

Newly filed accounts for the Irish arm of the internet giant also show a 28.5% jump in after-tax profit for 2013, to €154.5m.

The Dublin operations act as Google’s headquarters for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region.

“Businesses across [the region] are recognising that there is no longer a divide between online and offline,” said Google Ireland head John Herlihy.

“The successful companies are those that are investing in their online presence and getting ahead of the competition, and Dublin is playing a direct role in helping companies gain from the digital opportunity.

“With increasing amounts of business being transacted online, our success in delivering relevant, cost-effective online advertising for our customers is reflected in the increase in revenue and turnover achieved in 2013.”

Google Ireland’s cost of sales — which consist of amounts paid to Google Network members and partners who direct search queries to Google websites — increased from €4.5bn to €5.1bn last year.

The company also retained its status as one of the leading foreign multinational employers in Ireland, with direct employment here growing by 8% to 2,368 people.

Local investment also grew. Google invested a further €35.4m in research-and-development &projects here during the year.

The company opened its first digital innovation centre (the Foundry) at its Dublin campus, spending €5.5m on the project.

Since the turn of the year, it spent another €65m in acquiring the Grand Mill Quay site on Dublin’s Barrow St in order to further strengthen its position in the capital.

“This acquisition strengthens our operations in Dublin and future-proofs any future space requirements we may have in Dublin’s docklands,” Mr Herlihy added.

A 20-acre site in Clondalkin has also been bought, where the company intends to build its second data centre.