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Report: France wants Google to pay $1.76 billion in back taxes
France is reportedly demanding that Google pay 1.6 billion Euros ($1.76 billion) in back taxes. Reuters cited an anonymous official at the finance ministry who said, "As far as our country is concerned, back taxes concerning this company amount to 1.6 billion euros." The ministry has not, however, officially commented on the matter. Google similarly declined to comment.
French authorities investigating Apple's carrier contracts
The French finance ministry is looking into Apple's business practices in the country again, this time focusing on contracts between the company and French mobile carriers. The investigation is part of a larger probe into relationships between major handset makers and their major clients -- the operators who sell the phones. The probe was initially reported by French news channel BFM TV, and spokesmen for Apple and the finance ministry's anti-fraud and antitrust unit made no comment. France's antitrust watchdog group -- Autorite de la Concurrence -- is already involved in two other inquiries into Apple's business, having raided some Apple offices earlier in the summer seeking evidence of whether or not the company has engaged in unfair competition against Apple resellers. The authority is also investigating the app stores run by Google and Apple with an eye toward antitrust proceedings against a company or the entire industry.
