Ireland plans what to buy first with Apple's $14 billion tax windfall

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion

Now that the EU's ruling on Apple's back taxes in Ireland is final, the country's government says the $14 billion could be "transformational."

White building with a large blue Apple logo on a sign, indicating directions for Main Entrance and Deliveries. The background includes trees and a partly cloudy sky.
Apple's European headquarters, located in Cork, Ireland.



For a decade, Ireland has sided with Apple against the European Union and worked with it to protest that no laws or regulations were broken. Now that the EU has finally said tough, Apple has to pay up, Ireland is thinking well, what's done is done, and is rubbing its hands.

Ireland has good reason to be happy with this result, even if it disagreed with it. For alongside the $14 billion from Apple, the country already had a budget surplus of around $9.2 billion.

According to CNBC, Irish Finance Minister Jack discussed the surplus and Apple's taxes in a pre-election budget speech. Chambers cautioned that Ireland needed to choose carefully how to use the money, but said that it had "the capacity to be transformational."

"It is this government's view that we should utilize these revenues to address the known challenges that we face in housing, energy, water and transport infrastructure," said Chambers. "[It is] imperative [not to use it] for day-to-day expenditure or to narrow the tax base."

The country could, though, consider putting a few Euros into a farewell party EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager. At the start of her role with the EU, it was Vestager who pushed for Apple's tax deal to be changed, and now she's succeeded just as she is about to leave the job.




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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    TheSparkleTheSparkle Posts: 22member
    The EU successfully gets Apple to fund the…er…update to the nation. Absolute monsters. 
  • Reply 2 of 9
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,527member
    So far the 21st Century is turning out to be the best by far in the history of Ireland. This is another page in that book. I say good for them! All the other centuries were pretty harsh on the Emerald Isle. They deserve a break.
  • Reply 3 of 9
    123Go123Go Posts: 21member
    The larger mega corportations play the system so it is good to see one of these, Apple, havng to pay their fare share of tax.  
  • Reply 4 of 9
    apple4thewinapple4thewin Posts: 227member
    Still disappointed that Apple couldn’t invest it into themselves 
    iOS_Guy80mike1
  • Reply 5 of 9
    iloveapplegeariloveapplegear Posts: 118member
    The EU will now demand a higher (much higher) payment from Eire
  • Reply 6 of 9
    humbug1873humbug1873 Posts: 159member
    I really want to be punished liked Ireland did for charging too low taxes.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    Luis.A.MasantiLuis.A.Masanti Posts: 63member
    Ireland has around 5 million habitats.
    $14 billions is around $2,800- per habitant.
    Buy each one Irish person… an iPhone 16 Pro Max, charger, case, Watch, AirPods… or a MacBook…
    Ireland does not want the money… so give it back to Apple…

    Marketing tagline: “Ireland… the first full iPhonized country… thanks to the EU!”
    apple4thewin
  • Reply 8 of 9
    flydogflydog Posts: 1,138member
    123Go said:
    The larger mega corportations play the system so it is good to see one of these, Apple, havng to pay their fare share of tax.  
    That tax is ultimately paid by you, not by Apple.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    apple4thewinapple4thewin Posts: 227member
    Luis.A.Masanti said:
    Ireland has around 5 million habitats.
    $14 billions is around $2,800- per habitant.
    Buy each one Irish person… an iPhone 16 Pro Max, charger, case, Watch, AirPods… or a MacBook…
    Ireland does not want the money… so give it back to Apple…

    Marketing tagline: “Ireland… the first full iPhonized country… thanks to the EU!”
    But then Apple will be a monopoly in Ireland and they have to pay more
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