French tax inspectors search Microsoft offices in dawn raid

04.07.2012
French tax authorities have visited the headquarters of Microsoft France to conduct an inspection, a spokesman for the company confirmed Wednesday.

The visit, last Thursday, was a routine check, according to a statement on the company's website.

"We confirm that on June 28 an inspection by tax authorities took place at the headquarters of Microsoft France in Issy-les-Moulineaux. This was part of a routine check and, as for any administrative or tax procedure, we remain at the disposal of the authorities," said the statement.

The check involved 67 tax inspectors accompanied by 30 police officers, and lasted from dawn to well into the night, according to a report in French investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchainé, published Wednesday.

The inspectors came from a number of agencies, including the National Directorate of Tax Investigations, responsible for detecting tax evasion, and the Brigade for the Verification of Computerized Accounts, according to the newspaper report.

Nicolas Vanbremeersch, of Microsoft's public relations company Spintank, said Wednesday that the company had no comment to make on the number of inspectors involved, or the duration of the inspection.