Matthew Lynn Matthew Lynn

Why the EU keeps losing against big tech

European executive vice-president Margrethe Vestager (photo: Getty)

They shift revenues around. They create endless shadowy shell companies. And they undermine the social model by dodging taxes. To the European Union, the American tech giants, when they aren’t busy destroying democracy and hollowing out local economies, are paying far too little to the state, and it is the only organisation with the muscle to start forcing them to contribute their fair share. There is one flaw in that analysis, however. Whenever the matter is put before Europe’s own courts, it keeps losing – and the Commission itself looks like an increasingly rogue organisation.

Yesterday, the European General Court decided that a £215 million fine handed to Amazon in 2017 by the Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager was in fact illegal. Amazon did not receive ‘illegal state aid’ as the Commission had insisted, instead the tax deal was perfectly in accordance with Luxembourg’s laws.

Of course, this is the EU, so there is no question that Vestager will resign after her string of defeats

This isn’t an isolated incident either. The EU keeps losing these tax cases. Last year the same court decided that Apple did not have to pay £11 billion in back taxes to Ireland. Again, the company’s affairs were perfectly in order. The EU lost another case against Starbucks on much the same grounds. It turns out that the American multinationals the EU goes after are playing by the rules after all.

Of course, this is the EU, so there is no question that Vestager will resign after her string of defeats, even though it would seem to call into question the competence of her decision making. That is not how the system works. After all, once Commissioners start resigning after their policies fail where would you stop?

And yet the Amazon ruling also highlights two big problems within the EU.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in