European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager delivers a speech during the 2017 Web Summit in Lisbon on November 7, 2017 | Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images
Vestager files Apple lawsuit despite Dublin’s promises
The new lawsuit increases the pressure on Dublin to act on its promise to collect back taxes.
The European Commission is taking Ireland to the EU’s top court over its failure to collect more than €13 billion in back taxes owed by Apple — despite Ireland’s finance minister promising Monday to start finally collecting the money in 2018.
The new lawsuit, which has been assigned a case number and was filed this month, cranks up the pressure on Dublin to act on its promise.
In August 2016, European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager ordered Dublin to collect back taxes from Apple dating back to 2003. Dublin was meant to collect the taxes by January of this year.
A Commission spokesperson declined to comment but referred back to a previous statement.
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“The Commission decided in October to refer Ireland to the EU Court for failing to implement the Commission decision.”
“At the same time, we hope that we can work constructively with the Irish authorities to make sure that recovery is completed as soon as possible. That would also allow us to close this procedure.”