EU battles in court to overturn Apple tax bill ruling / Photo: Lionel BONAVENTURE - AFP/File
-
Malaysia's migrant return plan chills Myanmar Rohingya
-
Markets mixed as China's Xi arrives for US talks
-
Pakistan confirms Afghan strikes after resident says Kandahar hit
-
Swiss voters expected to shun stricter neutrality
-
Thousands missing, aid needs mount one month after Nepal's deadly floods
-
Rapper-turned-PM faces first big test after Nepal disaster
-
Nepal flood victims look to PM Shah to press climate case at UN
-
Tuchel seeks tonic to England World Cup 'scar' in Spain showdown
-
Trump admin says there were 8 suicide attempts on US aircraft carrier
-
'Helps me cope': Catholic baptisms rise among French youth
-
Iranian satire 'Head to Head' draws a veil over the men
-
Colombians in Santa Marta stay inside after violence wracks the city
-
Archaeological 'breakthrough' could confirm origins of Paris
-
Iran airlines cancel flights as US sanctions hit
-
Morocco elects new parliament with lowest turnout in nearly two decades
-
Meta launches camera-free AI glasses amid privacy pushback
-
North Korean IT contractor found remote work in New Zealand: agency
-
Australian PM says OpenAI hacked government health website
-
Anthropic touts AI-led biology discovery
-
Xi arrives in US to personal Trump welcome
-
Giants QB Dart to have season-ending surgery
-
Morocco elects new parliament amid social frustration, youth discontent
-
Venezuelan shot by ICE needs urgent surgery, mother tells AFP
-
Scheffler and Burns to face Im and Lee in Presidents Cup opener
-
Giants QB Dart to have season-ending surgery: reports
-
Crushing wins for Lyon and Barca in women's Champions League
-
Judge urged to lift Trump's White House ban on media outlets
-
Rio breaks record for rainiest September amid powerful El Nino
-
Stocks fall on soaring bond yields, higher oil prices
-
At UN, tech chiefs urge caution in AI development
-
US judge weighing Trump's White House ban on media outlets
-
Russian strikes kill seven in Ukraine, Zelensky vows winter campaign
-
At UN, OpenAI's Altman calls 'for extreme care' in AI
-
Venezuelan shot by ICE needs urgent medical care, mother tells AFP
-
Hamilton gives thumbs up to Gulf GPs despite Iran conflict
-
Zelensky says Putin using fighters from 47 countries in Ukraine war
-
Leclerc admits going 'too far' in Hamilton shunt in Italy
-
Klopp calls on Germany to 'rise above ourselves' as new era begins
-
Row engulfs Dolly Parton's estate as manager accuses nephew of making threats
-
Russian strikes kill seven in Ukraine as Russia vows no 'pause' to war
-
Mandela Digital Extends Early Access Programme to 11 February 2027 Following Strong Response
-
ArcPoint Expands Globally with Institutional Intelligence Platform for Modern Investors
-
US seeks 11th Presidents Cup win in a row over global foes
-
Ronaldo focussing on 'present' ahead of Wales test
-
McDonald's to boost franchisees as inflation weighs on consumers
-
Outgoing UN chief makes final climate push at New York summit
-
Trump invites Putin to G20 summit in Miami
-
Grief and pain flow at hearing for Canadian suicide poison vendor
-
Archaelogical 'breakthrough' could confirm origins of Paris
-
Ireland boss Hallgrimsson says timing of Israel remarks 'not clever'
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.
Ch.Campbell--AT
