The rideshare behemoth Uber has suffered a bruising loss in Australia’s high court that will cost it more than $80m in unpaid taxes.

The court on Wednesday dismissed Uber’s claim it was not liable to pay payroll tax in New South Wales after it argued that it does not employ drivers and claimed that money paid to its drivers were not wages under state law.

In a six-to-one decision, the high court found that Uber is liable to pay $81m for the tax years from 2015 to 2020.

But the ruling is likely to leave the multinational with a significant bill for subsequent years, pushing the total well over $100m.

Cannot say I'm unhappy about this.