Ireland faces the full force of the law over its failure to comply with orders to collect €13bn in unpaid taxes from Apple.
While the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that such move is ‘regrettable’, and that the monies ‘are not owed’, Ireland will nonetheless face the music in front of Europe’s highest court of law.
The Department of Finance meanwhile maintains that ‘Ireland has never accepted that the 13bn and loose change is actually owed’.
The case hinges on allegation that Apple received ‘favorable’ tax treatment for a number of years, accruing, in the eyes of the EU, a bill of €13bn in unpaid taxes. Ireland was ordered to recoup the full amount 12 months ago but refused to do so.