This could be the direct result of the European Union inquiry in the case of Ireland's Apple taxation issues

Sep 5, 2015 08:28 GMT  ·  By

Although Apple has been exonerated in the past in the case of its tax problems in Ireland, sources say that the issue is again on the table, with the Cupertino-based company being again subject to a possible fine.

The EU authorities are apparently close to censuring Ireland on tax in the upcoming months and, according to Marco Hickey, head of EU, competition and regulated markets at LK Shields, “The commission’s initial findings appear to be quite robust. Based on that, it would seem that they’re more minded than not to make a final negative decision against Ireland."

The investigation regarding the amount of tax paid by Apple for its Ireland-based operations has started when the company has been accused by US Senator Carl Lavin of using a so-called "sweetheart" tax deal to lower the effective tax rate.

This accusation was the spark that started an inquiry conducted by EU's antitrust authorities that, at the time, said that Apple was using the jobs it created in Ireland in exchange of a financial boost.

Apple denied dishonest tax dealings with Ireland in the past

Apple declared in the past that it has never used any tricks to get a better position on the market or for any boost in their financial results. Moreover, Michael Noonan, Ireland's Finance Minister, also agrees to say that all the taxes paid by Apple were according to the law in Ireland.

According to Bloomberg's report, the maximum amount of the fine Apple is liable to pay can be of up to $19 billion (approximately €17 billion), if the Dublin government will have to recover tax fees from Apple in the event of losing the legal battle with the European Commission.

Despite the fact that the EU authorities' initial findings seem to indicate that Ireland's tax censure is the most probable outcome of the inquiry, it still remains to be seen if Apple will indeed have to pay anything in the event of a negative ruling in this case.