BRUSSELS: The decision on whether Ireland granted illegal state aid to Apple and should receive many millions of euro back from the US multinational will not now be made next month, European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has said.
Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes was critical of the delay but the former Danish economy minister said getting information from the four member states on the five cases open was “challenging and time consuming”.
She told independent MEP Marian Harkin that what was needed was a common corporate tax base where companies across Europe fill in just one return.
The commission is revising its proposal on this and is expected to remove the contentious “consolidated” element from the draft.
Ms Harkin afterwards told the Irish Examiner that Ireland had a fine balancing act to remain attractive to multinationals but allowing them avoid paying their fair share of tax was unfair especially to SMEs in a time of austerity and cut backs.
We need to be able to look people in the eye,” she said, but the EU could not move ahead alone for fear of losing companies and at the same time member states should not be facilitating tax avoidance that affects the funds available for the common good, like health.
Last week Apple HQ inCalifornia warned their earnings could be affected if they had to pay taxes to Ireland after the commission investigation, saying the sum would be “material”.
