The EU's competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Tuesday defended a landmark choice that US tech giant Apple has to pay billions in back taxes to Ireland.
In August, the European CommissiEuropeangovt arm ordered the iPhone maker to reimburse a record EUR 13 billion ($14 billion) in unpaid taxes in ireland. the eu had accused ireland of giving Apple a secret tax deal that allowed it to experience near 0 tax on its huge sales worldwide for extra than a decade.
Addressing Irish lawmakers in Dublin on Tuesday, Vestager denied that Brussels changed into carrying out a "witch-hunt" against multinationals together with Apple.
Vestager said the investigations in this and other cases in different eu international locations have been basically approximately unlawful country useful resource. "We virtually need to ensure that they're now not used to rubber stamp a manner of allocating profits that doesn't fit financial reality," she stated.
It did no longer suggest that the eu commission became assuming the authority over a country's tax guidelines, the commissioner argued.
The investigations "do not affect the sovereign proper of member states to decide their personal corporate tax structures, or to set their very own tax fees. they're simply approximately unique treatment for sure corporations," she stated.
Vestager said "top progress" become being made through the Irish government with reference to the collection of the money.