France seeking €1.6bn in back taxes from Google

France is seeking €1.6bn in back taxes from internet giant Google, which has been criticised for its use of aggressive tax optimisation techniques, a source at the country’s finance ministry said yesterday.

“As far as our country is concerned, back taxes concerning this company amount to €1.6bn,” the official said.

A spokeswoman for Google France declined to comment on the amount when contacted by Reuters, saying only that the company obeyed tax rules in all countries where it operated. The finance ministry also declined to comment. An unsourced 2012 media report mentioned a claim for €1bn by French authorities, which Google denied at the time.