Amazon wont need to pay the European Union 250 million ($263 million) in back taxes. On Wednesday, the blocs executive branch said it was closing three separate state aid investigations, including one involving Amazon. The decision ends one of the companys longest-running legal sagas.In 2017, the European Commission found that, from 2006 to 2014, Amazon had used an operating company in Luxembourg to pay substantially less tax to the European Union. The shell company had no offices or staff, and was, according to the Commission, used solely by Amazon to lower its tax bill. By the Commissions estimate, the e-commerce giant avoided taxation on three quarters of all the profit it made from online sales in the EU during that period.In 2021, however, Amazon won an appeal against the ruling. Although the company changed its tax structure following the investigation, it argued at the time that the Commissions decision was full of "methodological errors. It also said the payments were legal per international tax principles, an argument Europes second-highest court agreed with after finding Amazons structure didnt confer it an advantage over other companies. Subsequently, the court ordered the Commissions decision annulled.With this weeks announcement, the Commission said it was taking into account the guidance of the EU Courts in closing the case against Amazon. Amazon did not immediately respond to Engadgets comment request.While the end of its case against Amazon is a setback for the European Commission, earlier this year the body won a decisive victory against Apple. In September, Europes highest court ordered the tech giant to pay back a 13 billion ($14.4 billion) tax break from Ireland that was found to be illegal in 2016.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/european-commission-ends-state-aid-case-against-amazon-with-no-tax-payout-004438602.html?src=rss