The European Union has ruled against Apple, and odrered the company to pay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland, after getting away with paying an effective corporate tax rate of 0.005 percent on the company’s sales in Europe.

Apple Forced to Pay Ireland 13 Billion Euros in Back Taxes After Paying Tax Rate of Just 0.005 Percent

0.005%??? WOW!! Europe is being taken to the cleaners by Apple Inc, who is making a killing off the EU, and I’m sure that the same thing, or worse, is happening here in the United States.

When will Apple be forced to pay their fare share of US taxes? We won’t be holding our breath that Apple will ever pay an acceptable tax rate until Democrats are out of office.

HA!! I’m glad that Apple is FINALLY being forced to pay their fare share of taxes, by someone..

The European Union on Tuesday ordered Apple to pay a record 13 billion euros in back taxes in Ireland, saying deals allowing the US tech giant to pay almost no tax were illegal.

In the latest in a series of rulings that has angered Washington, Brussels said the world’s most valuable company avoided tax bills on virtually all its profits in the bloc under its arrangements with Dublin.

Apple and the Irish government immediately said they would appeal against the European Commission ruling, while the US Treasury said it could undermine its economic partnership with the EU.

Ireland has been seeking to attract multinationals by offering extremely favourable tax conditions, known as sweetheart deals, but EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple’s broke EU laws on state aid.

“This decision sends a clear message. Member states cannot give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if European or foreign, large or small,” Vestager said.

“This is not a penalty, this is unpaid taxes to be paid,” Vestager added.

The tax repayment order — by far the largest in EU history — follows a three-year inquiry into whether Dublin’s tax breaks for Silicon Valley titan Apple were against the law.

– ‘No employees, no premises’ –

Apple has had a base at the southern city of Cork since 1980 and employs 5,000 people in Ireland, through which it routes its international sales, avoiding billions in corporation taxes.

But Vestager — who has launched a series of cases against US firms — said that Apple’s “so-called head office in Ireland only existed on paper. It had no employees, no premises and no real activities.”

Apple as a result paid an effective corporate tax rate of 0.005 per cent on its European profits in 2014 — equivalent to 50 euros for every million, Vestager added.

Tensions have been growing between Washington and Brussels over a series of anti-trust investigations targeting companies such as Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler.

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