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Ireland Will Bring the Fight Over Apple Taxes To the EU Court (digitaltrends.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Digital Trends: The tax debate between Apple, Ireland, and the European Union may escalate in the next few months. According to recent reports, the Irish Finance Minister, Michael Noonan, will bring the debate to the EU court, a move that could trigger a years-long court battle. The battle stems from a European Commission finding that Ireland had been giving Apple tax breaks, something that has attracted a number of multinational employers to Ireland. The EU, however, has ordered the practices to change. After a three-year probe into Ireland's relationship with Apple, the European Commission ordered Ireland to collect $14.5 billion in back taxes from the company. That is the largest state-aid payback demand in history. The decision has been the subject of criticism, particularly from this side of the Atlantic. The U.S. Treasury Department says the decision is a threat "to undermine foreign investment, the business climate in Europe, and the important spirit of economic partnership between the U.S. and the EU." Apple has also vowed to fight against the EU decision, and those appeals will follow the ones already pending in Luxembourg, where the EU is headquartered. Those pending appeals include cases against Starbucks.
No wonder all the shifty companies want to register in Ireland!
'this is a threat to the US collecting taxes on this revenue, it belongs to the US keep you're dirty hands off it!'
The EU is a commonwealth among nations. One deal is that members refrain from competing unfairly against each other. The EU actually enforces these deals. Who would have thought.
Basically the Irish Elites are the petty bourgeoisie of the globalist over-class. They provide Apple etc, with nigh 0% tax environment, and in return receive near San Francisco level salary levels in the city of Dublin, which by rights should have a wage level closer to Manchester.
This is about money, and the ruling class here will do anything to keep their hands on it. If Apple asked them to dig up Croke Park they'd probably do it.
Nations also sign treaties. Treaties usually result in laws being passed. Otherwise the other nations who sign the treaty just ignores you and kicks you out of the treaty.
One of the most fundamental concepts in civil law is contracts, and treaties are just contracts between nation states. Break any contract you sign in good faith and tell me how it goes.
When you're making a shady deal, make sure there is no higher authority than the person you're getting into bed with.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
With news like this, suddenly the Irish will be interested in their own Brexit.
No.. That would make them even more dirt poor than they already are from not collecting their taxes.
FTA:
No it's not. Try Brussels in Belgium.
Hope the court nails the sweetheart deal between Apple and the Irish taxman.
It hasn't just cost the Irish but every other consumer in the EU who has bought iCrap. All the profits go back to Ireland where they're essentially not taxed but squirrelled away by Apple. Apple stockholders win but EU citizens get screwed.
The Machine stops.
I'm in the EU, and I am against these tax deals or tax breaks for corporations as they do amount to unfair government subsidies and unfair competition amongst nations. With that said, I also believe that a country or its IRS should not be able to go back on a tax deal retroactively, not unless the entity with which the deal was made presented fraudulent information in order to get the deal. And a country should not be forced to go back on such a deal either. Apple worked within the law, got a favorable tax ruling, and should not be punished when the deal turns out to be invalid. Else, what are these tax rulings worth?
And before you say "we shouldn't have them at all", our IRS makes them all the time. As a freelancer working out of an Ltd, I got a tax ruling stating how much salary I should pay myself as a "director-major shareholder" (there's a minimum based on the kind of company and revenue). I would hate for them to come back to me and say "we were not allowed to fix your minimum salary at X, it is now X * 3 for the past 5 years and you owe us income tax and social security premiums over the difference."
Ireland should be punished, not Apple, and the EU is right to enforce these rules. How Ireland should be punished is left as an exercise for the reader...
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
You are a tax cheat
That case generally does not present itself because the person telling you what to pay as salary knows the rules well, applies them with a narrow margin, and is trusted by his superiors. It is rare for these rulings to be overturned - though I assure you it does occasionally happen!
The case with Apple might be different. From what I remember(!) reading last time this was in the news, both the Apple lawyers as well as the Irish tax authority could be expected to know this deal was crossing the line, and proceeded anyway. (Like buying a cheap bike on the street...)
Ireland is well known for these sorts of practices (for example they also double tax dividends against EU regulations). They have been warned to behave before, so yes, they should be punished. As a willing participant, Apple should not go free either, though.
As a business owner I haven't paid myself a salary in years, I put everything back into business.
What do you use to pay for food and shelter then?
If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
...unelected bureaucrats...
I get tired of hearing this one.
Yes, they're unelected but they're appointed by their respective member states. If you have a problem with how your government's representative is acting, or with the laws they're drafting and voting up, then take it up with your own government because it's your own democratically elected government who put them there.
Take it up with your own EU commissioner too, because they're the ones who should be out in public promoting the ideals of the union - such as they are - and giving the people a little taste of the transparency and accountability they deserve. Whatever you do, though, never forget that they serve only at their political masters' pleasure; they're not faceless bureaucrats. If your politicians think there are votes to be won by appointing a different commissioner... then I'll be living in a fantasy world where every nation's problems are solved and people actually have time to care about European politics. As it is we can only hope that 28 people are both competent and have our best interests at heart.
What do you use to pay for food and shelter then?
You obviously have no background in small business accounting.
He sleeps in his home office (which has a spare bed) and he eats at business meetings with his partner/spouse, and his contractors/children.
By that definition, Ireland is being an honest cop for Apple (and various other large corporate tax dodgers).
Why is Snark Required?