Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
287. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Finance the grounds on which he proposes to appeal against the recent ruling by the European Commission regarding the tax affairs of a company (details supplied); the engagement between him and his Department and the European Commission since the announcement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25525/16]
View answerThe Government has authorised me to arrange for annulment proceedings to be brought before the General Court of the European Union in the Apple State case. This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign Member State competence of taxation. The Attorney General has been requested to prepare the legal grounds in support of those proceedings and to take all other steps incidental to the conduct of those proceedings.
Dáil Éireann has also passed a motion supporting the Government decision to appeal the European Commission's decision that Ireland provided unlawful State aid to Apple.
Notwithstanding the right of appeal, Ireland is legally obliged to recover the alleged state aid from Apple in the interim. My officials will be engaging with the Commission over the coming months as part of this recovery process.
