- Meta, X, and LinkedIn are appealing a VAT claim by Italy that could impact EU tax policy.
- This is Italy’s first judicial tax trial against tech companies without a settlement.
- Italy argues free user registrations on these platforms are taxable as they involve exchanging personal data.
- The claim amounts are €887.6 million from Meta, €12.5 million from X, and €140 million from LinkedIn.
- The case could affect companies linking free services to user data across the EU.
- Meta disagrees with VAT on providing platform access; LinkedIn has no comment; X did not respond.
- Italy may seek an advisory opinion from the European Commission.
- The EU Commission’s VAT Committee’s opinion is non-binding but could influence the case’s outcome.
Source: japantimes.co.jp
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
