Netflix Europe offices raided in tax fraud probe

Offices of streaming elephantine Netflix successful Paris and Amsterdam person been raided by the French and Dutch authorities arsenic portion of an probe into taxation fraud, French judicial sources say.

Officials from the 2 countries person been co-operating connected the lawsuit since the probe was opened successful November 2022.

Netflix has not arsenic yet made immoderate circumstantial remark connected the raids, but insists it complies with taxation laws wherever it operates.

The Amsterdam bureau is the office of the company's operations successful Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The French probe is being carried retired by the National Financial Prosecutor's bureau (PNF), a peculiar portion utilized for investigations into high-profile white-collar crime.

It relates to suspicions of "covering up superior taxation fraud and off-the-books work", according to the PNF.

The institution is besides nether probe for taxation filings for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

The French sources said authorities successful the Netherlands were conducting simultaneous searches, and that co-operation betwixt the 2 countries had been going connected for "many months".

Last year, French media outlet La Lettre reported that until 2021, Netflix successful France minimised its taxation payments by declaring its turnover generated successful France to the Netherlands.

After it abandoned this arrangement, La Lettre said, its yearly declared turnover successful France jumped from €47.1m ($51.3m; £39.6m) successful 2020 to €1.2bn successful 2021.

However, the outlet says investigators are trying to find whether Netflix continued to effort to minimise its profits aft 2021.

Netflix arrived successful France much than 10 years ago, opening its Paris bureau successful 2020. It has immoderate 10 cardinal subscribers successful the country, according to AFP quality agency.