E-Malt.com News article: Belgium: AB InBev faces tax authority investigation

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV said Belgian tax inspectors are seeking to investigate a unit of the world’s biggest brewer, Bloomberg reported on November 13.

“The Belgian Special Tax Inspection Authorities wishes to look into what would be the most appropriate fiscal treatment for one of our subsidiaries, Ampar BVBA,” Karen Couck, a spokeswoman for the Budweiser maker, said by e-mail. She said the company can’t comment further as discussions started recently.

AB InBev complies with all fiscal rules and regulations in Belgium and other countries where it does business, Couck said.

Multinational tax avoidance has become a top political issue across Europe. On November 12, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker responded to disclosures by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists about favorable tax deals that Luxembourg entered into with hundreds of big companies. Juncker had previously served as Luxembourg’s prime minister for almost 19 years.

The European Commission is probing the terms of tax deals granted by Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Ireland to multinationals including Apple Inc., Starbucks Corp. and Fiat Finance and Trade Ltd. The commission said in September that Ireland and Luxembourg had provided illegal state aid to Apple and Fiat through deals that didn’t comply with international tax rules. The same month, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development announced proposals to hinder corporate avoidance.

The probe was reported earlier on November 13 by newspaper De Tijd, which said a tax agreement allowed AB InBev to transfer 140 million euros ($175 million) of profit from the rest of the world over the past three years to a Belgian company that exists only on paper.

A spokesman for the tax authority said he’s unable to comment on specific cases.


19 November, 2014