The audit into its federal income-tax returns is reported to concern efforts by the company, which owns agencies such as McCann-Erickson WorldGroup and Foote, Cone & Belding, to minimise its taxes, and covers returns filed between 1994 and 1996. Interpublic may be forced to pay additional tax.
The amount of back taxes it owes has not been stated, although Interpublic has said that it does not anticipate any material earnings impact. Last week, it said the same of the $68.5m (拢44.5m) that was incorrectly billed, after accounting errors at McCann-Erickson in Europe, forcing the company to restate the past five years' earnings.
Interpublic also faces another class-action lawsuit, after the law firm of Charles J. Piven filed an action in Baltimore. It names senior Interpublic executives including CEO John Dooner and chief financial officer Sean Orr, and says that the defendants made misleading statements that lead to an artificially high share price.
Another suit was filed in New York on Thursday.
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