European Commission to drop Apple tax proceedings against Ireland

European Commission to drop Apple tax proceedings against Ireland

The European Commission has said it will drop legal action against Ireland over its failure to collect €13.1 billion in tax from Apple.

A spokesperson for the European Commission said: “In light of the full payment by Apple of the illegal State aid it had received from Ireland, Commissioner Vestager will be proposing to the College of Commissioners the withdrawal of this court action.”

The Government is still planning to appeal the European Commission’s ruling in 2016 that Ireland broke EU state aid rules by granting undue tax benefits to Apple.

A state aid investigation launched in June 2014 had found that two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple “substantially and artificially” lowered the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991.

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