Microsoft’s datacentres and Optus owner among firms paying zero tax on billion-dollar Australian revenues

Microsoft’s datacentre business and the Optus parent Singtel are among a string of major corporations generating billions of dollars in revenue in Australia while paying zero income tax.

Well-known multinationals including Netflix also only pay tax on a small fraction of their turnover, according to the Australian Taxation Office.

The ATO’s transparency database for 2024-25 shows more than one-quarter of big companies, often based overseas, regularly pay no or little corporate tax in Australia.

This includes the Brazilian-owned JBS Global Meat Holdings, which generated more than $4.8bn in revenue but paid zero tax, in a recurring pattern for the global food company.

While the ATO does not typically publish tax information of individuals or companies, it is required by parliament to do so for all entities that generate at least $100m in Australian income.

The report did not provide detail as to why individual companies paid zero tax but noted there could be legitimate reasons for it…