After moving money around, Google paid tiny amount in European taxes

Google continues to expand its use of legal, but questionable, tax shenanigans as a way to minimize its overseas tax burden.

According to Irish media reports, in 2013 Google Ireland Limited paid an effective tax rate of just 0.16 percent on €17 billion ($22.8 billion) revenue, which came to a mere €27.7 million ($37.2 million). Google paid €11.7 billion in “administrative expenses,” which The Irish Times reports “largely refers to royalties paid to other Google entities, some of which are ultimately controlled from tax havens such as Bermuda.”