So far, most of Apple’s wrangles concerning its European tax issues has been carried out by the company’s accountants and legal team.
That could change in 2017, however, when none other than Tim Cook has been requested to attend a meeting in Dublin, Ireland, alongside the EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager.
Both Cook and Vestager have been invited to the country by the chair of the Oireachtas all-party Finance Committee, John McGuinness, who wants to discuss the massive 13 billion euro tax bill levied against Apple by the EU — and its potential implications for Ireland.
At the meeting, which McGuinness is confident both invitees will attend, Vestager will reportedly exaplain the rationale behind the massive bill Apple faces.
The European Union handed Apple its enormous tax bill in August, claiming the company took advantage of illegal state aid that allowed it to route profits through Ireland. The investigation alleged that Apple paid the equivalent of as little as 0.005 percent on all European profits in 2014. Both Apple and Ireland have said they plan to fight the decision.
Apple has long been a big investor in Ireland, where it is a major employer and taxpayer. In an interview with the Irish Independent, Tim Cook has said: “I feel like Ireland stuck with Apple when it wasn’t easy to stick with Apple, and now we’re sticking with Ireland.”
Can Tim Cook fight his corner? We guess that we’ll find out early in the new year.
Source: Silicon Republic
