The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ordered Apple to pay €13bn (£11bn; $14bn) in unpaid taxes to Ireland.
This order was made after the European Commission accused Ireland of providing Apple with illegal tax advantages in 2016.
However, Ireland has since opposed the tax repayment while ECJ ruled that “Ireland granted Apple unlawful aid,” which must now be recovered.
Apple expressed disappointment with the ruling, arguing that it has always complied with tax laws and that the case is not about how much tax is owed, but rather where the taxes should be paid as it claimed that it has already paid taxes on its income in the United States and criticized the European Commission for attempting to retroactively change the rules.
This ruling brings to a close a lengthy legal battle that began when the European Commission first issued its decision in 2016.
Apple Ireland Appeal
Apple and Ireland appealed the decision in 2020, leading to the overturning of the Commission’s ruling by a lower court. However, the higher ECJ court reversed that appeal, stating that legal errors had been made in the initial ruling.
The case is part of the European Commission’s wider efforts to crack down on tax avoidance by large multinational companies.
