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According to the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office, Elon Musk's platform allegedly used the same tax model as that found in the Meta investigation, closed in December.
Following investigations carried out by the Guardia di Finanza of Milan, the Revenue Agency has accused Twitter International UK, now known as X, of failing to pay €12.5 million in VAT between 2016 and 2022.
The Milan prosecutor's office and the Guardia di Finanza, in collaboration with the Revenue Agency, have requested a sum of 12.5 million euros from Elon Musk, following suspicions of "false declarations" made by the former executives of Twitter. The investigation was launched as a result of a GDF fiscal audit, completed in April 2024, on the American platform - now called "X". The file is under the supervision of prosecutor Giovanni Polizzi, who has previously investigated technology giants.
The investigation focuses on a key concept: when a user provides their data – even for free – to social platforms, they must pay VAT, as they benefit from the information of their members. According to the prosecution, user registrations have economic value because they allow them to be profiled and targeted for advertising. This exchange relationship, according to the indictment, should be subject to VAT. However, the technology giants strongly oppose this theory.
Twitter International UK is accused of failing to pay VAT for the period 2016-2022. The GDF tax investigation concluded in April 2024 and the Revenue Agency handed over its findings to the company in January 2025. The case is now in the hands of Elon Musk, and his lawyers have until the beginning of April to respond to the demands or oppose them.
This is not the first time that Italian authorities have pursued a technology company for tax evasion. In December 2024, the Milan Prosecutor's Office concluded an investigation into Meta, raising for the first time the issue of the economic value of user data on the social networks Facebook and Instagram. Meta is under investigation for non-payment of VAT from 2015 to 2021, for a total amount of over 877 million euros.
Meta has denied the allegations, stating that he “does not agree with the idea that users’ access to online platforms should be subject to VAT.” The company has stressed that it has cooperated with Italian authorities and will continue to follow European and national legislation.
According to investigations by the European Public Prosecutor's Office and Italian authorities, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, through Facebook and Instagram, offered "digital services to Italian users" in exchange for their personal data, which was used for commercial purposes. For this reason, the prosecution argues that this exchange should be taxed like any other commercial transaction.
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