Berlin/Paris — An EU investigation into McDonald’s is entering its final stages after officials gathered information on whether the Big Mac maker unfairly benefited from a hefty tax break in Luxembourg, according to people familiar with the case. The European Commission may be moving ahead with a decision in the McDonald’s case before the EU’s summer break in August, according to the people, who asked not to be named because details of state-aid investigations are confidential. That meant the ruling could arrive before another pending decision on Amazon.com’s tax deals with Luxembourg, the people said. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has been cracking down on tax loopholes, ordering Apple in August to pay as much as €13bn plus interest in back taxes over an illegal accord with Ireland. Shortly after, she warned that Amazon and McDonald’s were next "in the pipeline". Holding Company At stake are billions that multinational companies have squirrelled away in tax havens,...
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