Apple refuses invitation to European Union tax evasion hearing

Posted:
in General Discussion
Apple has turned down an invitation to speak in front of a European Parliament committee, looking to avoid any missteps that could affect its chances of appealing a previous ruling.

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"It is important to ensure public commentary does not prejudice those proceedings," said Apple's senior director of European government affairs in a Friday letter seen by Reuters. "Since the appeal is ongoing and likely to be heard at the General Court in the near future we will not be able to participate in a public hearing on this topic as it could be detrimental to the proceedings at the Court and any potential appeals thereafter."

The lawmaker who shared the letter, Sven Giegold, argued that Parliament should withdraw Apple's lobby badges because of its refusal to appear.

The company just recently made its first payment into an escrow account, designed to hold money on the chance appeals by Apple and the Irish government are successful.

The European Commission originally ordered Ireland to collect back taxes in August 2016, but the country missed a January 2017 deadline has been threatened with court action for its slow progress. On Friday, the Commission reiterated its position that it's willing to withdraw a lawsuit once money is fully collected.

The 2016 ruling, issued after a lengthy investigation, found that Ireland had extended preferential tax treatment to Apple, considered illegal state aid under European law. The company is said to have paid 1 percent on funneled international profits in 2003, and just 0.005 percent in 2014.

Apple and the Irish government have denied any wrongdoing, the former insisting multiple times that it simply follows local laws. At the time of the ruling, however, Ireland was infamous for its tax loopholes, and the government has been accused of reverse-engineering rules on the fly to keep Apple happy.

Irish finance minister Paschal Donohoe has suggested that appeals could be heard in the fall.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 32
    docbburkdocbburk Posts: 109member
    I guess Sven thinks that would be the Reich’ thing to do?
    SpamSandwichberndoganton zuykovwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 32
    racerhomie3racerhomie3 Posts: 1,264member
    I hope Italy leaves the EU before the U.K does it.
    SpamSandwichtallest skilberndogentropysanton zuykov
  • Reply 3 of 32
    IreneWIreneW Posts: 306member
    docbburk said:
    I guess Sven thinks that would be the Reich’ thing to do?
    ?

  • Reply 4 of 32
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Why would anyone voluntarily walk through a kangaroo court like the EU Parliament? Just like our own Congressional hearings here in the USA it’s not about getting to the truth. It’s about political grandstanding, “gotcha” questioning and perjury traps.
    steven n.tallest skilberndogradarthekatbshankentropysanton zuykovjony0
  • Reply 5 of 32
    IreneW said:
    docbburk said:
    I guess Sven thinks that would be the Reich’ thing to do?
    ?

    just a bit of casual racism, typical on any EU vs Apple posts.
  • Reply 6 of 32
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Blackmailers unite!
  • Reply 7 of 32
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    docbburk said:
    I guess Sven thinks that would be the Reich’ thing to do?
    Qu'est-ce que c'est?

  • Reply 8 of 32
    adm1 said:
    IreneW said:
    docbburk said:
    I guess Sven thinks that would be the Reich’ thing to do?
    ?

    just a bit of casual racism, typical on any EU vs Apple posts.
    I think its racist to refer to a joke about German history as racist!
    berndogSpamSandwichbshankentropystommikelejony0
  • Reply 9 of 32
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,077member
    lkrupp said:
    Why would anyone voluntarily walk through a kangaroo court like the EU Parliament? Just like our own Congressional hearings here in the USA it’s not about getting to the truth. It’s about political grandstanding, “gotcha” questioning and perjury traps.
    Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t scared to appear before Congress or the European Parliament.
    Cook shouldn’t hide from a little public pressure. 
  • Reply 10 of 32
    nunzynunzy Posts: 662member
    Applehas has nothing to hide. Everything they did was legal. Therefore, there is no good reason for them to participate. Apple is doing the right thing here.
    tallest skilbshank
  • Reply 11 of 32
    hammeroftruthhammeroftruth Posts: 1,349member
    Where is that Apple Store picture in the article located? 
  • Reply 12 of 32
    maciekskontaktmaciekskontakt Posts: 1,169member
    adm1 said:
    IreneW said:
    docbburk said:
    I guess Sven thinks that would be the Reich’ thing to do?
    ?

    just a bit of casual racism, typical on any EU vs Apple posts.
    How did you deduct that "racism" Sherlock? Anything that does not fit your agenda is now racism? Check the definition of the word.
    berndogracerhomie3bshankentropys
  • Reply 13 of 32
    maciekskontaktmaciekskontakt Posts: 1,169member
    EU Parliament or Commission is a joke. You should see their voting. members of my origin country exposed that and it was plastered all over video services. They even do not count votes anymore and assume resolutions passed prior to voting. Do you expect any fair coopeartion with EU parliament? Think twice. I agree Apple should be more carful with attempts to run business like some oligarchs via Cyprus or Cayman Islands, but that does not mean other side is clean.
  • Reply 14 of 32
    IreneWIreneW Posts: 306member
    adm1 said:
    IreneW said:
    docbburk said:
    I guess Sven thinks that would be the Reich’ thing to do?
    ?

    just a bit of casual racism, typical on any EU vs Apple posts.
    Ahh, now I get it. There is, of course, an obvious connection between 1930's National Socialists and the Green Party. How could I miss that? Little snowflake me.
    berndog
  • Reply 15 of 32
    docbburkdocbburk Posts: 109member
    I wasn’t saying it was racist.  I was saying it was heavy handed, using a bit of hyperbole as well as metaphor.  
    radarthekatberndogjony0
  • Reply 16 of 32
    radarthekatradarthekat Posts: 3,898moderator
    k2kw said:
    lkrupp said:
    Why would anyone voluntarily walk through a kangaroo court like the EU Parliament? Just like our own Congressional hearings here in the USA it’s not about getting to the truth. It’s about political grandstanding, “gotcha” questioning and perjury traps.
    Mark Zuckerberg wasn’t scared to appear before Congress or the European Parliament.
    Cook shouldn’t hide from a little public pressure. 
    Go ahead and read the article if you like. 
    SpamSandwichwatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 32
    crankercranker Posts: 3unconfirmed, member
    Where is that Apple Store picture in the article located? 
    Vienna, Austria
    hammeroftruth
  • Reply 18 of 32
    foggyhillfoggyhill Posts: 4,767member
    They respected Irish law, how is that Tax evasion, if anything, Apple should have a beef with Ireland bullshitting them but seemingly they're cool (at least in public, I'm sure some words were said in private though).
  • Reply 19 of 32
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,608member
    foggyhill said:
    They respected Irish law, how is that Tax evasion, if anything, Apple should have a beef with Ireland bullshitting them but seemingly they're cool (at least in public, I'm sure some words were said in private though).
    It's not tax evasion and no one with any knowledge of it has ever claimed it was AFAIK. The AI headline was obviously a poor choice of words. 
    edited June 2018 SpamSandwich
  • Reply 20 of 32
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    docbburk said:
    I wasn’t saying it was racist.  I was saying it was heavy handed, using a bit of hyperbole as well as metaphor.  
    Godwin’s Law, then.
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