the European Commission has struck a blow against the” tax benefits “granted by Ireland to Apple. The US firm will repay in Dublin a record amount of over 13 billion euros, to have benefited from favorable tax conditions in the country. The Commissioner of Competition, Margrethe Vestager said these rulings illegal because regarded as “state aid” abusive.
the largest breach ever imposed by Brussels in the case of illegal state aid was previously a check for € 1.4 billion owed by EDF in France. If the bill is too salty for the firm at the apple is that the European Commission investigation for three years – the formal investigation was launched it, in June 2014 – two rulings with Dublin. The first agreement between Apple and the Irish tax authorities in 1991 and the second in 2007. During these years, the US group, which employs more than 5000 people in the country, has paid only about 2% of taxes annually on the profits made by two of its local subsidiaries (Apple Operations Europe and Apple Sales International), while the Irish official rate is 12.5%.
Apple plans to use
Apple considered this decision “bad” on investment and employment in Europe, announcing that it would appeal. Its this the support of the Irish government. “I profoundly disagree with the decision of the Commission” , said the Irish Finance Minister, Michael Noonan, in a statement . “This decision leaves me no choice but to seek government approval to appeal” , he added. This is the fourth time in just over a year that M me Vestager, known for his guts and his method, condemns groups for rulings deemed illegal through the European procedure of “illegal state aid”. Before Apple, the Commission fined Starbucks and Fiat, respectively Netherlands and Luxembourg, and thirty multinationals in Belgium. Beyond the firm at the apple, is still expected decision on Amazon, the giant e-commerce, also in the European collimator, for a ruling in Luxembourg.
Controversy to USA
the announcement regarding Apple may revive the controversy, the US, the supposed fury of Brussels against US groups. On August 24, the US Treasury published a study provided denouncing the investigations of illegal state aid to some of its champions. An approach considered within the EU executive as a last attempt to lobbying “pro-Apple.”
The Treasury criticized in particular the Brussels inclination to impose retroactive penalties on US companies. He also accused the Commission of not following the recommendations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on international tax cooperation. Invariably, it welcomed the decision on Tuesday harshly, saying that the decision could threaten investment and job creation in Europe
Read also:. LuxLeaks: Tax evasion a national sport for American giants
Washington has in any case not visibly flinch M me Vestager, who with this new announcement, confirmed its status of ‘star “Commission. Arrival in November 2014 in his post, the former Danish Minister of Finance, which have inspired the figure of Birgitte Nyborg in the series “Borgen” multiplies the strokes of brilliance.
Read also: Brussels has found a new heroine
Google is well placed to testify, another US technology giant received in July a third indictment of the Commissioner. After denouncing an abuse of a dominant position on its shopping search engine and Android, its mobile operating system is its range of internet advertising that it has officially blamed.
These last month, Apple and Dublin had warned they could appeal a decision to the Brussels Court of justice. The shadow of the record fine risk in any case to tarnish a bit annual High Mass of the designer of iPad and iPhone, scheduled for 7 September in San Francisco. Apple may unveil iPhone on that occasion 7 and a new version of its shows connected.
No comments:
Post a Comment