A decision in the European Commission probe of Ireland's alleged "sweetheart tax deal" with Apple will likely be delayed until after the Irish elections in early 2016, as Financial Times reports the executive cabinet has now requested supplementary questionnaires in the lengthy investigation.
The European Commission began Apple's Irish tax probe in June 2014, and the Brussels-based executive body formally accused the iPhone maker of receiving illegal state aid from Ireland in September 2014. A decision was originally expected earlier this year, but the additional information requested will likely cause further delays.
Apple's tax policies have been scrutinized on numerous occasions over the past three years, as the company is said to utilize multiple subsidiary companies located in the Irish city of Cork to move money around without significant tax penalties. Apple continues to deny any wrongdoing, and Ireland vows to take the European Commission to court over any negative ruling, according to the report.
Apple's Irish tax probe is part of a larger crackdown by the European Commission on possible corporate tax avoidance in EU countries. Earlier this month, the commission reportedly accused McDonald's of "benefiting from arrangements that allowed it to pay no tax on European royalties in Luxembourg," and Fiat and Starbucks were ordered in October to repay up to €30 million in back taxes.
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Besides, your argument is flawed. Apple didn't get on the bus without paying. They took advantage of a discounted fair.
If you're going to get mad at someone, get mad at the governments for creating tax codes that aren't fair.
I find it funny how Apple takes 99% of the flack for bad working conditions in China when half the industry uses Foxconn too. It's just trendier to attack apple to show how unique you are.
Not that Apple is a saint, but I'm just saying if you actually care about workers and taxes, then don't focus weirdly on one purportrator.
The idea of the United States of Europe is nothing but a pipe dream now. Dead in the water. European technocrats (unelected with no mandate) are hell bent on getting ride of what nationality means to the ordinary citizen. Just stick an EU flag in the front garden and they will be happy. Throw your national flag in the bin. They might start to spread some crumbs to the ordinary EU citizen then.
They are fooling no one. The mask slipped during the so called negotiations (dictate) with Greece. The way they were disgracefully treated shows that the EU is not about solidarity - more like it is all about the markets and money. 50,000 + died by suicide around the EU during the last few years, directly attributable to Austerity policies. Nobody cares about it though.
It’s bad enough trying to keep an eye on our local Governments - without having to worry about the unelected technocrats who are answerable to no one it seems - dreaming up crazy new rules that suit the 1% and multinationals but leave everyone else behind.
The European Court of Justice is about the only good thing. It keeps our own Governments from running riot on us.
The only way to really tax massive corporations is to stop giving them tax relief schemes like Ireland did, and set taxes to the same value around the world. Which I actually do think will happen – the growing inequality between the rich and the poor will force it. But it will not happen anytime soon. The only alternative I see is going back to the times before EU, every country guarding its borders and market and possibly cold war brewing again.