Overview

• Lagardère has disclosed a potential €55 million tax reassessment, largely stemming from the contested deductibility of a €189.9 million capital loss on the 2020 sale of its sports division.
• The French finance ministry argues that the capital loss should not have been deducted from the group's taxable base, citing the structure of the sale to HIG Capital.
• Hachette Livre, part of Lagardère, also faces a €6.5 million VAT adjustment for allegedly misapplying a reduced VAT rate on certain products from 2021 to 2024.
• Lagardère, now part of Vincent Bolloré’s Louis Hachette Group, insists these disputes have no impact on its record 2024 financial performance or net debt.
• Negotiations between Lagardère and the French Ministry of Economy are ongoing as the company continues to challenge the tax authority’s position.