Uber aware of wrong cuts from drivers' earnings as early as 2015

Problem with commissions has arisen amid driver discontent over a range of issues

Uber said last week that it had recently discovered an accounting error that had deprived New York drivers of tens of millions of dollars, and vowed to pay back drivers every cent, with interest.

Now evidence has emerged suggesting that Uber and New York State regulators were aware of the improper deductions from drivers’ earnings as early as 2015.

The error involved Uber’s taking its commission on fares that included sales tax, rather than on the pretax portion of the fare. If, for instance, a passenger paid $20 for a ride, and if taxes accounted for roughly $2 of that fare, Uber