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Italian prosecutors seek trial for Amazon, 4 execs in alleged $1.4B tax evasion
- myrmidon 7mo agoIt would be really nice to have a few relevant numbers in the article for context. If this is just from foreign sellers operating on amazon.it, then 1.4B of evaded taxes sounds like a lot to me, because the total revenue should be well under 50B/y, so this would be a significant fraction of total sales tax (and I'd expect most sellers to not be foreign and thus unaffected). Would be quite nice to see rich people held accountable for once, curious how this will go.
- philipwhiuk 7mo ago> and I'd expect most sellers to not be foreign and thus unaffected Most sellers probably are foreign.
- mesmertech 7mo agoAs a solo indiehacker in Europe, its crazy that I have to be so worried about VAT related things and big tech just goes around the whole thing and doesn't even expect to be charged just fined
- amarcheschi 7mo agoWell, for once execs are being investigated as well
- cbg0 7mo agoYou only have to be worried if you're doing something illegal, like the guys in the article. Misfiling something won't land you in jail, just some fines at the most. Intent matters quite a bit.
- bluefirebrand 7mo agoWhen you're not wealthy, "some fines at most" can be a really nasty setback
- omnimus 7mo agoNo really the fines in line with the profits and your intent. Businesses who get into trouble because of taxes are doing it intentionally. Or somebody in the company does it intentionally.
- vjvjvjvjghv 7mo ago“ just some fines at the most. “ That’s ok for the big players with deep pockets. For the little guy this is a much bigger problem. As it should. It would just be nice if law breaking would be a bigger problem for the bigger companies too.
- riffraff 7mo agoI think GPs point is that the fines are generally not crazy. I misfiled stuff a few times and got fined, it's annoying but it's not something that will break your bank. The behaviour of the tax office varies quite a lot from country to country tho.
- pocksuppet 7mo agoYes. No country is out here destroying productive businesses because they made a paperwork mistake. The penalty is usually proportionate. But don't trust me, ask your lawyer.
- worik 7mo ago> No country is out here destroying productive businesses because they made a paperwork mistake. New Zealand. The Accident Compensation Corporation, a compulsory insurance scheme, is absolutely feral. Will crush you "because rules" without a thought.
- mcs5280 7mo agoLet me guess. Jeff/Andy make a donation to a certain someone. Tariffs on Italy are threatened. Case is dropped.
- robtherobber 7mo agoI think that normally that may be the approach (and I'm not singling out Italy for this, it probably applies to most countries). On this occasion, however: > In all previous cases involving other international groups, once a settlement was reached and payment made, prosecutors closed related criminal investigations, either through plea deals or by dropping the cases. > This time, however, Milan prosecutors did not share the tax authority's approach and decided to press ahead with their probe, leading to a request that the suspects be sent to trial.
- mr_00ff00 7mo agoDamn, is anyone an expert that can speak to the criminal law involved here? It’s crazy that executives can jump around the law and not face any criminal charges, then the company picks up the bill (although I’m not ignorant thinking this isn’t usual) I’m just curious to learn more about how often this is the case and you usually what happens with people afterward
- nobodyandproud 7mo agoWhile I share your sentiment, perhaps its better that it remain murky to give prosecutors a chance to succeed.
- limagnolia 7mo agoI don't know about Italian law, but in the US tax evasion is pretty difficult in many cases to prove. It is illegal in the US to deliberately defraud the IRS to evade paying taxes, it is not illegal to make a mistake, or claim a deduction you think you can claim when the IRS decides you can't, etc. So prosecutors must prove you had an intent to evade taxes you knew you owed. Because they can rarely meet that bar, criminal charges are rarely brought.
- flerchin 7mo agoHonest sellers pay VAT, and scofflaws get sales. Yeah they gotta throw down the gauntlet here or else VAT is only for suckers.
- Yizahi 7mo agoBillionaire doesn't pay tax: let's settle with you paying half of all stolen money as a fine and we'll drop the case. A regular citizen doesn't pay tax: lets jail or deport you, bar the entry for a decade, take away your home, car and anything you own in general and make you unable to find job for the rest of your life. Also your tax is double that of the billionaire, glhf ;) .
- _2d30 7mo agoIn Italy, the only entities consistently paying taxes are large corporations. Literally everyone else is constantly evading them.
- randoments 7mo agoas a freelancer i must be doing something wrong then.
- _2d30 7mo agoActually, you're doing something right. Everyone else is doing something wrong.
- newswasboring 7mo agoTaxes dont get deducted from people's salaries?
- riffraff 7mo agothey do, the above comment is a generic populist rant
- lormayna 7mo agoAs Italian, I really disagree. The only entities that pay all the taxes are employees because the taxes are collected directly from the salaries. Big companies have the opportunity to make tax elusion (there is a reason why many Italian companies have legal HQ in Netherlands or Luxembourg), small companies, artisans and freelancers usually avoid to pajly VAT
- Bombthecat 7mo agoThey will settle for a few million lol
- cyprustaxlife 7mo ago[dead]