Apple has won a major tax battle with the European Union. The US technology company has been able to prove its point in court and avoid a huge fine of €13 billion.
The tax relief case has been dragging on since 2016 when the European Union's general court ordered Apple to pay a record €13 billion fine for allegedly illegal tax benefits granted to the company in the period from 2003 to 2014. However, in the end, the judges said that there was not enough evidence to accuse Apple of breaking EU competition rules. This case was not about how much tax Apple had paid, but where the company was required to have paid it. Given that it is incorporated in Ireland, its tax payments have been contributed to Ireland's budget. The Irish authorities confirmed it, saying that it had "always been clear there was no special treatment provided" to Apple's Irish subsidiaries.
However, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age Margrethe Vestager was not satisfied with the judgment delivered by the General Court, and the official promised to "carefully study the judgment and reflect on possible next steps". Apple is not the only company that is coming under attack from European authorities. Other US tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft have also been drawn into similar court proceedings.
