Google

=== Tax avoidance strategies ===
{{Further|Corporation tax in the Republic of Ireland#Multinational tax schemes|Google tax}}
Google uses various [[tax avoidance]] strategies. On the [[list of largest technology companies by revenue]], it pays the lowest taxes to the countries of origin of its revenues. Google between 2007 and 2010 saved $3.1 billion in taxes by shuttling non-U.S. profits through [[Ireland]] and the [[Netherlands]] and then to [[Bermuda]]. Such techniques lower its non-U.S. tax rate to 2.3 per cent, while normally the corporate tax rate in, for instance, the UK is 28 per cent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Metz |first=Cade |date=October 22, 2010 |title=Google slips $3.1bn through 'Double Irish' tax loophole. |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/22/google_double_irish_tax_loophole/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706132414/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/22/google_double_irish_tax_loophole/ |archive-date=July 6, 2017 |access-date=August 10, 2017 |website=The Register}}</ref> This reportedly sparked a French investigation into Google's [[transfer pricing]] practices in 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leach |first=Anna |date=October 31, 2012 |title=French gov 'plans to hand Google €1bn tax bill'&nbsp;– report |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/31/google_france_tax_office_billion_euros/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104002014/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/31/google_france_tax_office_billion_euros/ |archive-date=January 4, 2013 |access-date=January 2, 2013 |publisher=The Register}}</ref>

In 2020, Google said it had overhauled its controversial global tax structure and consolidated all of its intellectual property holdings back to the US.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Waters |first=Richard |date=January 2, 2020 |title=Google to end use of 'double Irish' as tax loophole set to close |work=[[Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/991f11ae-2c51-11ea-bc77-65e4aa615551 |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102131057/https://www.ft.com/content/991f11ae-2c51-11ea-bc77-65e4aa615551 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Google Vice-president [[Matt Brittin]] testified to the [[Public Accounts Committee (United Kingdom)|Public Accounts Committee]] of the [[UK House of Commons]] that his UK sales team made no sales and hence owed no sales taxes to the UK.<ref>{{Cite web |last= Parnell |first=Brid-Aine |date=May 17, 2013 |title=I think you DO do evil, using smoke and mirrors to avoid tax |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/17/quotw_ending_may_17/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226090028/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/05/17/quotw_ending_may_17/ |archive-date=December 26, 2013 |access-date=March 13, 2014 |publisher=The Register}}</ref> In January 2016, Google reached a settlement with the UK to pay £130m in back taxes plus higher taxes in future.<ref>{{Cite web |first=John |last=Gapper |date=January 23, 2016 |title=Google strikes £130m back tax deal |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d50ad5f4-c125-11e5-9fdb-87b8d15baec2.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124195612/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d50ad5f4-c125-11e5-9fdb-87b8d15baec2.html |archive-date=January 24, 2016 |access-date=January 24, 2016 |publisher=Financial Times }}</ref> In 2017, Google channeled $22.7 billion from the Netherlands to Bermuda to reduce its tax bill.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Bart |last=Meijer |date=January 3, 2019 |title=Google shifted $23 billion to tax haven Bermuda in 2017: filing |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-taxes-netherlands/google-shifted-23-billion-to-tax-haven-bermuda-in-2017-filing-idUSKCN1OX1G9 |url-status=live |access-date=January 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103215930/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-google-taxes-netherlands/google-shifted-23-billion-to-tax-haven-bermuda-in-2017-filing-idUSKCN1OX1G9 |archive-date=January 3, 2019 |quote=Google moved 19.9 billion euros ($22.7 billion) through a Dutch shell company to Bermuda in 2017, as part of an arrangement that allows it to reduce its foreign tax bill}}</ref>

In 2013, Google ranked 5th in [[Lobbying in the United States|lobbying]] spending, up from 213th in 2003. In 2012, the company ranked 2nd in campaign donations of technology and Internet sections.<ref name="lobby1">{{Cite news |last1=Hamburger |first1=Tom |last2=Gold |first2=Matea |date=April 13, 2014 |title=Google, once disdainful of lobbying, now a master of Washington influence |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-google-is-transforming-power-and-politicsgoogle-once-disdainful-of-lobbying-now-a-master-of-washington-influence/2014/04/12/51648b92-b4d3-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html |url-status=live |access-date=August 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027124925/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-google-is-transforming-power-and-politicsgoogle-once-disdainful-of-lobbying-now-a-master-of-washington-influence/2014/04/12/51648b92-b4d3-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html |archive-date=October 27, 2017}}</ref>