SYDNEY: Alphabet Inc.’s Google said it would challenge amended tax assessments issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), which is trying to claw back billions of dollars from multinational corporations citing unpaid taxes.
The ATO has increased scrutiny over how much tax multinationals operating in Australia pay. In December, it said it was pursuing seven global businesses over AU$2 billion ($1.50 billion) in unpaid tax.
While the ATO has not named the businesses it is pursuing, Google’s Australia unit said in accounts filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) that it will “lodge an objection” to the tax demand from the ATO.
“The company will continue to uphold its positions against any and all such claims,” Google said in the financial statement released on Friday. The search giant did not disclose how much the ATO has demanded it pay in taxes.
Google and the ATO declined to comment on how much the company’s amended tax bill was.
Treasurer Scott Morrison said in April the country expected to claw back AU$2.9 billion from companies under the legislation.
Australia enacted the Multinational Anti-Avoidance Law in December 2015 and the ATO has introduced new guidelines for foreign trading hubs.
Google Australia restructured its operations effective Jan. 1 of last year to comply with the legislation and its financial statement reveals an increase in revenue and tax for the 2016 calendar year as a result.
Revenue surged to AU$1.14 billion in 2016 from AU$498 million in 2015, while total income tax rose to AU$16 million from AU$2.8 million in 2015, the accounts show.
Google to challenge Australian tax office
Google to challenge Australian tax office
Oman property price index jumps 17.3% in Q3
JEDDAH: Oman’s real estate price index recorded a 17.3 percent increase in the third quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to official data.
The commercial property price index rose 14.6 percent, driven by a 19 percent increase in commercial land prices, while the cost of commercial shops fell by 8.5 percent, as per the country’s National Centre for Statistics and Information, or NCSI, based on figures from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning.
Industrial land prices posted a moderate increase of 5.5 percent, while residential property prices recorded stronger growth of 18.7 percent year on year, the Oman News Agency reported.
The rise in Oman’s real estate price index comes amid broader momentum across Gulf property markets, where residential activity remained resilient in the third quarter of 2025. Higher demand in major cities across the region, supported by population growth and ongoing infrastructure investment, helped underpin price gains, even as some markets faced tighter financing conditions.
“As for the residential property price index, it achieved clear growth in the third quarter of 2025, with a rate of 18.7 percent compared to the third quarter of 2024, as residential land prices increased by 19.6 percent, residential apartments by 22.4 percent, in addition to the growth of villa prices by 16.5 percent, while the prices of other houses decreased by 0.5 percent,” the ONA report stated.
Oman’s residential land prices climbed 19.6 percent, with apartments rising by 22.4 percent, while villas increased by 16.5 percent. Prices of other types of houses saw a slight decline of 0.5 percent.
At the governorate level, Muscat recorded the highest increase in residential land prices at 48.3 percent, followed by Musandam at 29.7 percent, Al-Dakhiliyah at 12.3 percent, Al-Batinah South at 8.7 percent, North Al Batinah at 8.1 percent, and Dhofar at 4 percent.
On the other hand, some governorates saw declines in residential land prices, with Al-Dhahirah down 25.8 percent, Al-Buraimi down 24.6 percent, Al-Wusta down 13.3 percent, Al-Sharqiyah North down 4 percent, and Al-Sharqiyah South down 2.2 percent.
“This increase reflects continued demand in Oman’s real estate market, with residential properties in Muscat and Musandam driving much of the growth,” the ONA report added.
The data also show clear differences across regions, with price gains concentrated in major urban areas. Strong demand in Muscat and coastal governorates was supported by population growth, investment, and infrastructure spending, while some interior regions recorded declines as market activity softened.
