EU battles in court to overturn Apple tax bill ruling / Photo: Lionel BONAVENTURE - AFP/File
-
Lampard extends Coventry stay after promotion to Premier League
-
Grimaldo realises goal of Atletico Madrid move from Leverkusen
-
Djokovic, Sinner aim to step up Wimbledon title chase
-
US Supreme Court lifts campaign spending restrictions ahead of midterms
-
Brook ready for "great honour" of succeeding Stokes as Test skipper
-
LeBron James to leave Lakers to play 24th NBA career
-
Taps run dry in Hungarian village as heatwave bites
-
Tens of millions swelter as heat wave blasts US
-
Venezuela quake survivors seek food, shelter amid risk of disease outbreaks
-
US Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to limit birthright citizenship
-
LeBron James to leave Lakers, continue NBA career - media reports
-
Gardner stars as Australia thrash the West Indies in Women's T20 World Cup semi-final
-
'Where is she?' The desperate search for Venezuela's missing
-
Former Barca teen star Fati seals permanent Monaco switch
-
No business as usual after shock World Cup exit, say German FA
-
German rail regulator backs Italian firm in competition spat
-
Pope appeals to Catholic traditionalists to avoid schism
-
Ancelotti shows Brazil his worth at World Cup but concerns remain
-
US Supreme Court upholds transgender sports bans
-
Stocks rise, yen at 40-year low against dollar
-
US Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to restrict birthright citizenship
-
Australia hold West Indies to 125-7 in World Cup semi-final
-
Serena set for remarkable Wimbledon return, Swiatek survives scare
-
Defending champ Swiatek survives scare to reach Wimbledon second round
-
Africa EV firm Spiro accused of torturing Uganda employees
-
US Supreme Court upholds state bans on transgender athletes in school
-
PSG's Portugal forward Ramos signs five-year AC Milan deal
-
Tourists soldier on in Rome despite heatwave
-
Inflation slows in top eurozone economies as ECB ponders next move
-
Record number of 'new millionaires' in 2025, says UBS
-
Starmer boosts budget to modernise UK military before exit
-
UN calls for food, shelter to help Venezuela quake survivors
-
Stocks mostly higher, yen stays near 40-year low against dollar
-
Merz faces mockery over praise of Germany's World Cup team
-
Data centres emitting more CO2 than thought: study
-
Ride-share group BlaBlaCar taps AI for 20-country expansion
-
Over 1 million migrants apply for Spain's mass regularisation
-
Escaping heat, forgetting war: Kyiv locals hit the beach
-
Germany questions footballing identity after fresh World Cup failure
-
Thousands march to demand illegal migrants leave South Africa
-
MEXC Lists Ondo's Tokenized Strategy Preferred Stock on Spot Market
-
Serena set for remarkable Wimbledon return
-
Stocks climb, yen stays near 40-year low against dollar
-
Outgoing UK PM Starmer announces 'record' defence spending
-
Swim star Marchand limps out of French nationals as Europeans loom
-
Paralluelo joins Barca women's departures
-
UN says transport infrastructure must adapt to climate
-
Police hunt for Monaco bomb suspect after Ukrainian-born businessman wounded
-
Sommer, Acerbi, Darmian, De Vrij leave Inter Milan
-
Sommer, Acerbi, Darmian leave Inter Milan
NYSE - LSE
EU battles in court to overturn Apple tax bill ruling
Apple and Brussels butted heads in a top EU court on Tuesday as the bloc battled to overturn a ruling against its whopping 13-billion euro order on the iPhone-maker to pay Ireland in back taxes.
The landmark case remains one of the most bitter between the European Commission and a big tech firm, dating back to 2016 when the EU's executive arm accused Ireland of allowing Apple to escape 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in taxes between 2003 and 2014.
The EU alleged that Apple parked untaxed revenue earned in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India in Ireland, which is a European hub for US-based big tech.
Brussels claims this amounted to illegal "state aid" by Ireland.
On Tuesday, the bloc's highest court heard the commission's appeal against a 2020 decision by the EU's lower General Court to annul its order that Apple repay the money.
The commission's lawyer, Paul-John Loewenthal, told the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that there had been a "breach of procedure" and "numerous other legal errors" when the lower court heard the case.
He also said the "tax breaks" resulted in Apple's Irish subsidiary "paying an effective tax rate on its European profits starting at one percent in 2003 down to 0.005 percent in 2014".
"Tax breaks which Apple itself described (to the US Senate) as investment incentives amounting to state aid," Loewenthal said.
Apple's lawyer Daniel Beard pushed back against Loewenthal's claims.
"Apple has paid the taxes that were due under the Irish tax code," Beard said.
"Taking quotes to the US Senate completely out of context doesn't change that."
The lawyer dismissed Brussels' accusations of illegal support from Ireland, insisting "there was no special treatment, there was no state aid".
Apple has been present in Ireland since the 1980s and employs more than 6,000 people in Cork, the country's second-largest city.
The ECJ's top legal advisor will issue an opinion on November 9, with a final ruling expected a few months later by judges that are not bound by the advice.
The EU has faced difficulty justifying its tax decisions in recent years with previous court losses against Amazon and Starbucks.
P.Serra--PC
