In what’s shaping up to be a long and far-reaching, continent-wide financial battlefield, finance ministers from many EU countries are now backing the recent ruling that dictates that Apple must pay 13bn in owed back taxes.
The ministers are urging Apple to comply with the ruling and pay up. It is estimated that the final tax bill may top a mammoth 20bn, taking interest into account.
The Irish Government has sided with Apple and will appeal the ruling, kickstarting a process that may take up to six years, in a blatant attempt to kick the can down the road to ensure that nothing happens at the end, or that some other government has to deal with the issue in the distant future.