Luxembourg Appeals EU Amazon Tax Ruling

The government of Luxembourg said on Friday that it has begun an appeal against the European Commission's order to recover 250 million euros ($295 million dollars) in back taxes from Amazon.

The government said it believed that the Commission had not proven the existence of a selective advantage, with regard to EU state-aid rules on competition.

The Commission in October ordered Luxembourg to recoup the sum, identified as unpaid taxes, in what would be one of the largest-ever tax recoveries under EU state-aid laws. It ruled that the country had granted the e-commerce giant state aid as part of sweetheart tax deals in 2003 and 2011 that lowered Amazon's tax payments to the Grand Duchy at the disadvantage of the company's rivals.

"This appeal seeks to obtain legal certainty, and does not put into question Luxembourg's strong commitment to tax transparency and the fight against harmful tax practices," said Luxembourg's finance ministry.

Write to Euan Conley at euan.conley@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 15, 2017 06:17 ET (11:17 GMT)