Santander Win in EU Court May Hinder Probes Into Tax Breaks

Banco Santander SA’s court victory in a case over Spanish tax breaks may hamper the European Union’s probes into unfair fiscal deals for multinational firms, lawyers said.

Today’s ruling at the EU General Court, on special treatment for companies that take a stake in overseas firms, follows the revelation of hundreds of fiscal deals with companies in Luxembourg, which sparked calls for tougher EU action to combat corporate tax dodging.