Everyone wants the Google tax deal investigated by the EU

Chancellor George Osborne hailed the £130m deal between Google and HM Revenue and Customs earlier in the month as a “major success”.

Labour MPs have since pointed out that the settlement, compared to Google’s 2014 UK revenues of £4.6bn, amounted to a three per cent tax rate. Meanwhile, some European MPs have described it as a “very bad deal”.

The EU's Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager said on BBC Radio 4:

If we find that there is something to be concerned about if someone writes to us and says, well, this is maybe not as it should be then we will take a look.

The SNP have since written a letter of complaint from deputy leader Stewart Hosie, as well as the Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell writing to the European Commission for similar reasons.

While David Cameron defended the deal at PMQs on Wednesday, an online survey has shown that the public may be less pleased with the deal.

The survey by YouGov Daily showed that 71 per cent of people supported an EU investigation into the deal than he is.

The European Commission has said it is considering how to respond to the letters and will look at "all letters recieved from stakeholders":

This of course does not prejudge the opening of any investigation, which must be based on concerns under EU state aid rules.

(H/T BBC)