Undeterred by its massive tax bill from the European Commission, Apple has confirmed it is shifting its international iTunes business from Luxembourg to Ireland.
The move, which will take place on February 5, was announced in an email to developers today. However, Apple started planning for it last September when it transferred all developer accounts and around $9 billion in assets from Luxembourg to Ireland.
Apple already has a major presence in Ireland. In addition to its European headquarters, it has a secret iMac production plant, and it is planning a brand new data center. The company has also announced plans to create 1,000 jobs there by mid-2017.
Last August, Apple got a massive tax bill of €13 billion ($14.52 billion) from the European Commission for an allegedly illegal tax deal it had reached with the Irish government. But that hasn’t deterred the company from doing more business there.
Apple has confirmed it will be relocating its international iTunes business to Cork next month. The office will serve over 100 countries, and will take care of iTunes, iBooks, Apple Music, and the App Stores for both Mac and iOS.
Apple is currently fighting its tax bill from the EU, and the Irish government has been appealing alongside it. This support could be one of the reasons why Apple is keen to do more business there.
