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Apple faces €1bn tax probe in Italy, claim legal eagle insiders

Well, seeing as everyone else has crawled up Cupertino's arse one way or another

Apple will be investigated in Italy for allegedly owing almost £1bn to the Euro nation's taxman, it was claimed last night.

News agency Reuters quoted a unnamed judicial source who said the "checks on the size of the tax are under way".

Since the news broke last night, the fruity firm's spokeswoman Kristin Huguet has told Sky News that Apple is aware of the Italian tax review but "confident" investigators would find it in compliance with all local laws.

It's claimed Apple is accused of understating its Italian revenue to the tune of about €1bn, which works out to £840m or $1.35bn. According to anonymous legal system insiders, Milanese prosecutors will claim Apple failed to declare €206m in 2010 and €853m in 2011.

"Apple pays every dollar and euro it owes in taxes and we are continuously audited by governments around the world," the iPhone goliath told Reuters.

"The Italian tax authorities already audited Apple Italy in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and confirmed that we were in full compliance with the OECD documentation and transparency requirements. We are confident the current review will reach the same conclusion."

Over in the United States, a congressional report [PDF] claimed Apple has managed to avoid paying $79bn in US taxes between 2009 and 2012, but the biz was cleared of any wrongdoing by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in October. Last year, Apple funneled more than $40bn in sales through its Irish subsidiary, enabling it to ultimately lower its corporate tax bill.

We'll give you more news on the Italian case when we get it. ®

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