An investigation has been conducted in Italy into the suspicion of the social network X in tax evasion.

In Italy, the department of investigation of economic crimes of the country's Financial Guard conducted an inspection after the suspicion of the social network X (ex. Twitter) in non-payment of €12.5 million in taxes in 2022. This was reported on February 26 by the newspaper Corriere della Sera.

It is noted that the investigation into the social network owned by American entrepreneur Elon Musk ended in April 2024, but it has only now been reported.

The investigators clarified the issue of the so-called "free services" that the platform provides to subscribers in exchange for using their personal data for commercial purposes. Law enforcement officials believe that the proposal for such an "exchange" should be taxed.

Instagram Facebook and Instagram social networks, which both belong to Meta, a company whose activities are recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation, were previously investigated in Italy for the same reason. At that time, there was talk of evading VAT from 2015 to 2021 by €877 million.

The media reports that both investigations are "pilot". Both of these social networks continue to operate in Italy, clarifying their positions under the control of the country's law enforcement agencies.

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Earlier, on January 9, Musk stated that registration in the social network X may soon become paid for new users. According to media reports, the payment can be made as early as February: it is assumed that creating an account will cost $ 8 (about 818 rubles). This measure will apply to users all over the world.