Italy hands VAT bill to Meta, X and LinkedIn in landmark tax case

Visitors take pictures by a sign posted in front of Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Jan. 29, 2025.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Italy has handed tax demands to Meta, X and LinkedIn in the formal and final step in an unprecedented official VAT claim against the three U.S. web giants that could have repercussions across the European Union, four sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.

While it has been reported that Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta and Elon Musk’s social network X were under investigation for alleged tax fraud, it had not been disclosed that Microsoft’s LinkedIn unit was also caught up in Italy’s pilot VAT case for the tech sector in Europe.

Source

World

European companies are jumping on the defense bandwagon as EU plans security splurge

July 17, 2025

From cruise ships to telecommunications, European companies are finding ways to increasingly pivot to military contracts as they seek to cash in on a defense boom that’s sweeping the continent. Europe’s defense sector has exploded in value this year, with the industry’s publicly listed companies riding a wave of bullish sentiment that has seen some […]

World

New U.S. assessment finds American strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites

July 17, 2025

A satellite view shows an overview of Fordow underground complex, after the U.S. struck the underground nuclear facility, near Qom, Iran June 22, 2025. Maxar Technologies | Via Reuters WASHINGTON — One of the three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran struck by the United States last month was mostly destroyed, setting work there back significantly. […]

World

Sweden’s Volvo Cars pops 10% on quarterly profit beat

July 17, 2025

Volvo vehicles seen outside a Volvo dealership in Edmonton, AB, Canada, on February 02, 2025. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Shares of Sweden-based automaker Volvo Cars rose more than 10% on Thursday as the company’s second-quarter operating profit beat analyst expectations despite a sharp year-on-year decline. Volvo Cars, which is owned by China’s Geely […]