BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2020) The European Union will decide its further course of action regarding alleged tax breaks received by Apple from Ireland after studying the decision of the General Court, Margrethe Vestager, the executive vice president of the European Commission, said on Wednesday.
In 2016, the commission concluded that Ireland gave Apple unjustifiable tax breaks from 2003-2014, resulting in about $14.8 billion in unpaid taxes, requiring the company to pay the back taxes to Dublin. Ireland and Apple went on to ask the General Court to nullify the decision.
"Today's judgment by the General Court annuls the Commission's August 2016 decision that Ireland granted illegal State aid to Apple through selective tax breaks. We will carefully study the judgment and reflect on possible next steps," she said in a statement.
The Irish government welcomed the court's ruling.
"Ireland has always been clear that there was no special treatment provided to the two Apple companies - ASI and AOE. The correct amount of Irish tax was charged in line with normal Irish taxation rules," the government said in a statement.
Apple has expressed gratitude for the court ruling as well, telling business Insider newspaper that it is the world's largest taxpayer and is aware of the importance of taxes in society.
