US Government Seeks To Intervene in Apple's EU Tax Appeal (reuters.com)

The U.S. government has sought to intervene in Apple's appeal against an EU order to pay back up to 13 billion euros ($14.8 billion) in Irish taxes, Reuters is reporting. From a report: iPhone maker Apple took its case to the Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe's second-highest, in December after the European Commission issued the record tax demand saying the U.S. company won sweetheart tax deals from the Irish government which amounted to illegal subsidies. The decision was criticized by the Obama administration which said the European Union was helping itself to cash that should have ended up in the United States. The Trump administration, which has tentatively proposed a tax break on $2.6 trillion in corporate profits being held offshore as part of its tax reform, has not said anything in public about the case.

Comments

Its free trade until the cash runs out?

[AHuxley]

The EU was all happy to sign up to trade deals with the US and the rest of the world.
Exporting cars, services, machinery, robots, food to the world from within the EU.
A free flow of new cars into the USA. EU products and services in the USA.
People in the EU had the freedom to use advanced, creative and innovative US social media and computer services.
The US brands sold products and services in the EU that worked as sold.
Now the EU is having cash flow issues due to its own domestic policies and wants the USA to pay more?
More costs? New compliance costs? Complex legal issues?

US brands now have to factor in a digital compliance wall that is going up around the EU.

Is the EU worth the risk of investing in or been part of given unexpected, expensive and retroactive legal changes?

Use the freedom of hosting and been in the USA to offer EU users innovative US products and services.
If all the EU can innovate is new costs to investors, thats not a great place for your tech investments.
Freedom of speech, freedom after speech and any easy to follow laws in the USA is starting to make the USA look like a smarter place to grow a tech business.