As a result of a ruling by Europe’s highest court, the Government “will respect” an order to recoup more than €13 billion in overdue taxes from Apple, reports Breaking News.
The European Court of Justice (CJEU) opinion upholds a 2016 European Commission determination that Ireland provided Apple with excessive tax incentives, which is prohibited by EU state assistance regulations.
The General Court of the European Union overturned the commission’s ruling in July 2020 after the Irish Government and Apple, who had long maintained that the right amount of tax had been paid, challenged it, reports Breaking News.
The European Commission, however, then filed an appeal with the CJEU, arguing that the lower court’s conclusion was legally erroneous.
Tuesday, the CJEU ruled that the commission’s first decision should be reinstated after acknowledging that the General Court had “erred” in its conclusion, reports Breaking News.
“The Irish position has always been that Ireland does not give preferential tax treatment to any companies or taxpayers,” the government stated, adding that it will “respect the findings.”
Apple expressed its “disappointment” with the decision through a spokesman.
“This case has never been about how much tax we pay, but which government we are required to pay it to. We always pay all the taxes we owe wherever we operate and there has never been a special deal. Apple is proud to be an engine of growth and innovation across Europe and around the world, and to consistently be one of the largest taxpayers in the world,” they said.
“The European Commission is trying to retroactively change the rules and ignore that, as required by international tax law, our income was already subject to taxes in the US. We are disappointed with today’s decision as previously the General Court reviewed the facts and categorically annulled this case,” they added, reports Breaking News.
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