Shell admits to not paying profit tax in Netherlands

Shell paid no taxes on the billions of euros in profit it made in the Netherlands over the past years, Marjan van Loon, director of Shell Netherlands, admitted to magazine Elsevier.

As Shell's global headquarters are located in the Netherlands, the company can deduct the costs of that office from the profit made by Shell's Dutch branch. The Shell branch in the Netherlands made more than 1 billion euros in profits in 2016 and 2017. But as far as the Tax Authority is concerned, Shell made a loss, according to Elsevier.

Van Loon told the magazine that the Dutch oil and gas giant adheres to the tax rules. Shell is happy with the tax-friendly business climate in the Netherlands, which according to Van Loon, is also good for the Dutch economy. "Shell is good for thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Netherlands, and for 3 billion in spending with Dutch suppliers", she said.

Van Loon added that just because Shell does not pay tax on its profits in the Netherlands, doesn't mean that the company does not pay any tax at all. According to her, Shell paid the Dutch Tax Authority 4.5 billion euros last year in VAT, excise duties and wage taxes, among other things.

According to Elsevier, Shell does pay billions in profit taxes in other countries worldwide.