Defeat for UK government as European Court of Justice rules in favour of Hutchison Whampoa

Hutchison Whampoa recently won a bid for tax relief on losses by its UK mobile phone unit, Three, after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) found that Britain had violated EU anti-discrimination rules by blocking the transfer of the losses to group companies. The ruling has called into question the government’s ability to tax international groups under the control of third country parent companies.