France seeks 1.6 billion euros in back taxes from Google: source

France is seeking 1.6 billion euros ($1.76 billion) in back taxes from U.S. Internet giant Google , criticized for its use of aggressive tax optimization techniques, a source at the finance ministry said on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Google France declined to comment on the amount when contacted by Reuters, saying only that the company obeyed tax rules in all countries where it operated. An unsourced 2012 media report mentioned a claim for 1 billion euros by French authorities, which Google de