European Commission expected to rule against Apple in major Irish tax case
Reading time: 2 minutes
The European Commission is widely expected to rule this week that Apple owes millions of euros in tax in Ireland due to an illegal tax arrangement with the State.
Both Apple and Ireland have denied having a special tax deal in breach of EU rules, which has been the subject of a European Commission probe since 2013.
In 2014, the Commission’s preliminary findings were that Apple’s tax arrangements had been improperly designed - slashing Apple’s total tax liability in exchange for creating jobs in Ireland.
The tech giant came under scrutiny after US senators alleged the firm had reduced its effective corporate tax rate to 2 per cent by using the controversial “double Irish arrangement”.
Apple has insisted it worked within the law and the spirit of the law.
From 2020, the “double Irish arrangement” will cease to be legal due to changes announced by Finance Minister Michael Noonan in 2013.
The Irish Times reports a Government memo circulated to ministers over the weekend states that Ireland will contest the expected findings.
According to The Times, Fianna Fáil may also choose to support the appeal from the opposition benches.
Michael McGrath, Fianna Fail’s finance spokesman, said he would consider the ruling and the Government’s response “very carefully”.
Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss articles like this one:
SUBSCRIBE
