Drxclusive's Blog™: Google's Madrid HQ Raided In Spain Tax Probe

Spain's tax investigators have raided Google'sMadrid offices in a probe into tax payments, according to the Reuters news agency.
In response, Google has insisted that the company complies with Spanish finance laws and
has agreed to co-operate with authorities and answer all questions.The operation was carried out only weeks after asimilar raid on Google offices in Paris which involved more than 100 investigators and 25 computer experts.The Spanish authorities were yet to comment on today's developments and the exact nature of the inquiry.A number of EU countries, including Franceand Britain, have long complained at the way a number of technology firms generate profits within their borders by locating tax bases where corporate tax rates are far lower.In January, the company agreed to pay £130m in back taxes in the UK -  a move described as a victory by the Chancellor though critics said the sum was derisory.Ahead of its raids on the company, France had let it be known it was seeking €1.6bn - then worth £1.2bn to taxpayers - in back taxes.Google's European operations are based in Ireland, which has some of the lowest corporatetax rates in the region.