Apple's fight against a $14 billion EU tax bill suffers a setback

Luxembourg—An adviser to the European Court of Justice has stated that a European tribunal made legal errors when it ruled in favor of Apple in a €13 billion tax case. The case, brought by the European Commission, alleged that Apple had benefited from unfair state aid due to two Irish tax rulings that artificially reduced its tax burden. In 2020, the EU’s General Court upheld Apple’s challenge to the ruling, stating that regulators had not proven that Apple had enjoyed an unfair advantage. However, the adviser at the European Court of Justice disagreed and recommended that the case be reviewed again. The court is expected to rule on the case in the coming months. Ireland maintained that it had not provided any state aid to Apple and reiterated that the correct amount of tax had been paid. Despite the appeal, Apple was still required to pay the full amount of the tax order, which had been held in an escrow account by Ireland.