Apple has been ordered by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to repay €13 billion ($14 billion) in unpaid taxes to Ireland. This comes after the EU accused Ireland of giving Apple illegal tax breaks.
According to BBC, Ireland has been fighting this claim for years, but now the court has made its final decision.
The ECJ confirmed that Ireland gave Apple "unlawful aid," and the country must now recover the money. This decision follows a long legal battle that started when the European Commission ruled in 2016 that Apple benefited from illegal tax deals between 1991 and 2014.
Apple, in response, said the issue was never about how much tax they pay but which country they should pay it to.
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The tech giant insists it has always paid what it owes and denies receiving any special treatment.
Apple added, “We are disappointed with today’s decision.”
The case focuses on the way Apple’s subsidiaries in Ireland were taxed, giving them advantages not available to other companies. Ireland, which has fought hard to avoid claiming the money, now faces the task of recovering the back taxes from Apple.
This ruling is part of a broader effort by the EU to crack down on big multinational companies using creative tax arrangements to reduce their bills. It follows another significant ruling where Google was fined €2.4 billion for abusing its market dominance.
