The European Commission has decided to appeal a court decision in July, overturning its order that Apple pay Ireland 13 billion euros in taxes.
The European Commission concluded in 2016 that between 2003 and 2014, Apple had received unlawful aid in the form of a tax advantage from the Irish State and therefore ordered the payment of taxes. However, in July this year, the EU tribunal ruled that Apple did not have to pay extra money. According to him, the commission failed to prove that the American company received advantages contrary to EU law.
The General Court is the second-highest court in the European Union. According to Vestager, the commission has decided to appeal against his decision to the Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court.
Apple said that it would review the appeal as soon as it is received. However, they pointed out that the General Court’s findings showed that the company had always complied with Irish tax laws. “The facts have not changed since then,” the company said. “This case was never related to how much tax we pay, but rather to where we should pay them,” Apple added.
Apple said last September that the European Commission’s demand was “beyond reality and common sense.” According to the commission, Apple paid taxes from its European profits from one percent in 2003 to 0.005 percent in 2014 thanks to tax agreements in Ireland. However, according to Dublin, Apple paid what it had to pay in taxes and did not receive any unauthorized state aid.