Friday, April 1, 2011

Beijing accuses Google of businesses related to tax fraud

The Chinese authorities accuse three companies linked to tax evasion and Google have opened an investigation, said the Chinese press. A procedure that increases the pressure on the search engine, engaged in a standoff with Beijing over the censorship of its search engine and its online mapping service.

Two of the three companies mentioned belong to Google, and the third is a partner in the search engine. Google has denied charges of fraud, the search engine said in a statement that he "thinks acting, and always have acted in accordance with Chinese tax law." The three companies are suspected of submitting false tax returns, and have about 4.2 million in the Chinese tax authorities.

The details of the alleged fraud are unknown. Asked by Reuters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry declined to comment on this information. LONG CONFLICT Google and Beijing have been engaged for over a year in a standoff that also involves Washington. A year ago, the search engine had accused Beijing innuendo to support or condone cyber attacks targeting Gmail accounts of Chinese dissidents.

After several weeks of conflict, Google had decided to channel his research in China by Hongkong, where he is not subject to draconian laws on censorship. The conflict took a new turn in early March, after new charges against Google's Beijing, covering its blocking Gmail. The search engine may also not show the license of its Google Maps service renewed.

Relatively small presence in China, where the national engine Baidu occupies most of the search market, Google has been trying for several years to find a balance between respect Chinese law, which provides for censorship, and respect for freedom expression, the key element of its brand image.

Washington has also repeatedly involved in disputes between Google and States, most often to support the search, but sometimes asking him to get more involved.

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