European antitrust regulators believed Amazon's (AMZN.O) arrangement with Luxembourg to minimise its tax bill did constitute state aid and expressed doubt that such aid was lawful, according to a document released on Friday.
The European Commission, which rules on competition and subsidies in the European Union, announced in October that it had opened an investigation into a tax ruling struck in 2003. It published details of its case on Friday.
The 23-page document, dated October 7, concluded that Luxembourg appeared to have given Amazon an unfair advantage.
"The Commission's preliminary view is that the tax ruling of 5 November 2003 by Luxembourg in favour of Amazon constitutes state aid... and the Commission has doubts at this stage as to that ruling's compatibility with the internal market."
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