Reckitt Benckiser evades taxes through the Netherlands

British Reckitt Benckiser, which owns brands like Durex, Calgon and Nurofen, has evaded hundreds of millions of euros in taxes through the Netherlands according to Oxfam Novib after it studies the company’s financial results.

Saved more than 200 million

Over the past three years, Reckitt Benckiser apparently saved 200 million pounds (225 million euro) through transfers to other countries. Part of the funds arrived in the Netherlands, but also in Singapore and Dubai, which helped it avoid to pay profit tax.

Its Dutch division generated a 724 million pound (820 million euro) profit in 2015 and a tax deal with the Dutch government resulted in a 7 % tax instead of the usual 25 %. It has set up similar deals in other countries.

Reckitt Benckiser says it did nothing illegal, but there is increasing opposition to this type of deal where companies slush away profits to subsidiaries in tax havens. Starbucks was also reprimanded last year for its tax deal with the Dutch government. For this particular reason, the European Commission is often investigating companies like Google, Inditex and Apple.