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Amazon won't have to pay about 250 million euros (USD 273 million) in back taxes after European Union judges ruled in favour of the US e-commerce giant Thursday, dealing a defeat to the 27-nation bloc in its efforts to tackle corporate tax avoidance. The ruling by the EU's top court is final, ending the long-running legal battle over tax arrangements between Amazon and Luxembourg's government and marking a further setback for a crackdown by antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager. The Court of Justice backed a 2021 decision by judges in a lower court who sided with Amazon, saying the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, had not proved its case that Amazon received illegal state support. The Court of Justice confirms that the Commission has not established that the tax ruling given to Amazon by Luxembourg was a State aid that was incompatible with the internal market of the EU, the court said in a press release. Amazon welcomed the ruling, saying it confirms that the company .
British antitrust regulators have started investigating Amazon's purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot, adding further scrutiny to the $1.7 billion deal. The Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it's considering whether the deal will result in a substantial lessening of competition within the United Kingdom. In an initial step, the U.K. watchdog invited comments on the deal from any interested party. The acquisition is already facing a review in the U.S. by the Federal Trade Commission amid worries about Amazon's growing market power. Consumer groups had voiced concerns after the deal was announced last year that it would further the e-commerce giant's dominance in the smart home market. Amazon said it's working cooperatively with the relevant regulators in their review of the merger. Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot, which makes the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, said it continues to work cooperatively with both the U.S. FTC and other regulatory agencie
One of the European Union's highest courts has largely upheld a huge fine issued to Google by the bloc's antitrust enforcers in 2018 over its Android mobile operating system. The European Court of Justice's General Court on Wednesday mostly confirmed a European Commission decision to slap Google with a fine of more than 4 billion euros for stifling competition through the dominance of Android. The court said it was appropriate to give Google a fine of 4.125 billion euros (USD 4.155 billion), slightly lower than the original 4.34 billion euro penalty.