EU court rejects Italian gambling taxes challenge

The top European Union court rejected a challenge to Italian gambling taxes that argued that it discriminated companies based in other countries.

Italy.- The European Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday on a case that challenged Italian taxes on gambling. The court said that the taxes don’t discriminate against companies based in other countries.

The case was sent to the court by Italian authorities after Stanleybet complained that the €8 million tax bill was illegal. The court said that the tax “applies to all operators who manage bets collected on Italian territory, without making a distinction on the basis of the place of establishment of those operators.” It added that “the imposition of that tax on Stanleybet Malta cannot be regarded as discriminatory.”

Stanleybet argued that as its headquarters are located in Malta, thus it is being double-taxed. The five-judge panel said that countries are not obliged to change their own systems to ensure that double taxation in the EU doesn’t happen.

“The national legislation at issue in the main proceedings does not give rise to any discriminatory restriction as regards Stanleybet Malta and Stanleyparma and does not interfere, in their regard, with the freedom to provide services,” said the court.