Microsoft Sues IRS For Info On Quinn Emanuel

Microsoft has filed a complaint against the IRS, after the agency did not turn over information obtained by its independent auditor, Quinn Emanuel. The IRS has hired Quinn Emanuel to examine the complex tax procedures, known as transfer pricing, that allow Microsoft and other multi-nationals to channel revenues through foreign subsidiaries. Microsoft is said to have saved $29.6 billion in U.S. taxes last year by way of transfer pricing, and with increased attention on corporate tax avoidance, the IRS took the unusual step of recruiting expert outside counsel to examine Microsoft’s 2004-2009 tax filings.