BERLIN: Google CEO Sundar Pichai hit back on Sunday at accusations that the global internet giant failed to pay enough taxes in Europe, and warned of the potential fallout from Britain leaving the EU.
Google faces a raft of probes across Europe. Pichai told Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper that it had invested “very heavily” in Europe and employed 14,000 people there. “As a global company, we find ourselves between the conflicting priorities of international tax law,” he said. “Based on existing tax law, most companies pay the bulk of their taxes in their home countries.”
Pichai said a “unified digital market” in Europe was crucial, and that it was a“challenge” for a multinational company“to come to terms with different laws and regulations in each country”.