BRUSSELS/LONDON: A tax deal the Netherlands cut with Starbucks Corp may be illegal state aid, European Union regulators said yesterday, part of a crackdown on members attracting investment by helping companies to avoid tax.
Luxembourg, Ireland, Malta, Belgium, Cyprus and Gibraltar are also facing scrutiny over tax deals they have struck with multinational companies.
The inquiries have overshadowed the early days of the new European Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister and finance minister of Luxembourg for more than two decades, and intensified calls among lawmakers and EU countries for a more harmonised tax system in the 28-country bloc.
The European Commission said it suspects the Dutch tax ruling allows Starbucks, the world’s biggest coffee chain, to lower its taxable profit, and thereby its tax bill, in a way that is at odds with accepted accounting rules.
“The Commission’s preliminary view is that the advanced pricing arrangements in favour of Starbucks Manufacturing EMEA BV constitutes state aid,” the EU executive said.
Deputy Finance Minister Eric Wiebes said that the Starbucks deal “is fully in line with international transfer pricing standards, is consistent with the policy framework applied by the government in its efforts to create an attractive business climate”.
Reuters
