Apple owes Ireland approximately €13 billion (around $14 billion USD) in back taxes, plus interest, as mandated by a final ruling from Europe's top court in September 2024, ending a long-running dispute over illegal state aid and unfair tax breaks granted to the company between 1991 and 2014. The Irish government is now processing the funds, which are expected to be spent on national infrastructure projects.
The European Commission found that corporate tax rates as low as 0.005% paid by the tech giant represented an unlawful subsidy, specifically because other companies were not permitted to obtain the same tax arrangements. As a consequence Apple must pay €13 billion, excluding interest, to the Irish Treasury.
While CEO Tim Cook was hawking a new $1,000 phone, Europe hit Apple with a multibillion-dollar tax bill. The European Union's highest court ordered Apple to pay Ireland 13 billion euros, or about $14.4 billion, plus interest, for 11 years' worth of unfair tax breaks.
The Irish government has provided more details of how it intends to spend its €14bn tax windfall from Apple. The money is being used to beef-up the country's National Development Plan (NDP), a €112bn (£97bn) package of infrastructure investments.
Apple, Microsoft, Google, Pfizer, Merck (US), J&J, Facebook, Intel, Medtronic, and Coca-Cola paid 56% of all corporate tax in 2021. #1 Apple and #2 Microsoft together pay €4.1 billion, more than #3 to #10 combined.
A 'good' salary in Ireland generally ranges from €50,000 to €70,000 per year. This would allow a single person or small family to live comfortably, especially outside of Dublin.
Ireland is referred to as a tax haven because of the country's taxation and economic policies. The country's tax laws heavily favor businesses, and the economic environment is very hospitable for all corporations, especially those invested in research, development, and innovation.
The company paid tax of €587.34m, or 16% of its profit before tax, leaving it with a profit after tax of €2.98bn. Average headcount was 5,310, up from 4,832 the previous year. Including wages and salaries, social welfare costs, share based payments and pension expenses, average cost per employee came in at €207,705.
What is the Apple Tax? “Apple Tax” is a slang term for the commission fee Apple charges for the use of its App Store and in-app payment system. Many purchases made through iOS apps — including in-app purchases like gaming microtransactions and monthly subscription payments — are subject to a 30% surcharge.
Ireland's GDP is forecast to grow exceptionally by 10.7% in 2025, largely reflecting strong export activity in the first half of the year. As the frontloading effect unwinds, growth is expected to moderate to 0.2% in 2026, reflecting a technical base effect from 2025 dynamics, before stabilising at 2.9% in 2027.
The Guardian reports on the latest corporate transparency report from the Australian Taxation Office, revealing a string of mostly multinational firms which continue to pay no or very little tax on income in Australia, including household names such as Netflix, Apple and Microsoft.
Apple has lost a high-profile, €13bn (£11bn) Irish tax battle with Brussels in a decision that will bolster the European Commission's efforts to clamp down on favourable “sweetheart” tax deals for multinationals.
The average Apple salary ranges from approximately €27,873 per year for Home Solutions Advisor to €73,063 per year for Engineer. The average Apple daily wage ranges from approximately €89.45 per day for Accountant to €173 per day for Partner.
The Double Irish arrangement was a base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) corporate tax avoidance tool used mainly by United States multinationals since the late 1980s to avoid corporate taxation on non-US profits.
A Low Corporate Tax Rate
One of the primary reasons Apple and other tech giants established their European bases in Ireland is the country's low corporate tax rate. At just 12.5%, Ireland's corporate tax rate is among the lowest in the European Union.
Apple was fined 500 million euros in April for violating the EU's Digital Markets Act by allegedly restricting app developers from steering users toward alternatives to the App Store.
The latest decision comes as Apple charges a commission of 30 percent on third-party payments. Netflix had dropped the iOS users in 2018 citing the same reason, which later prompted Apple to relax the commission for Netflix and several other apps in 2021.
But the European Court of Justice has now sided with Vestager, agreeing Apple had unduly benefited from unfair loopholes in Ireland's tax regime, and that the company must now hand Ireland 13 billion euros in back payments.
Under the structure struck down by the EU, a multinational funnelled untaxed revenues to an Irish subsidiary which then paid the money to another company registered in Ireland but taxed elsewhere – hence “double Irish” – for example in the tax haven Bermuda. However, the Apple ruling addresses a different era.
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Musk paid $455 million in taxes on $1.52 billion of income between 2014 and 2018. According to ProPublica, Musk paid no federal income taxes in 2018. He stated his 2021 tax bill was estimated at $12 billion based on his sale of $14 billion worth of Tesla stock.
The causes of Ireland's growth are the subject of some debate, but credit has been primarily given to state-driven economic development; social partnership among employers, government and trade unions; increased participation by women in the labour force; decades of investment in domestic higher education; targeting of ...
There is a limit to how far back you can claim tax refunds under Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Self-assessment. The limit is four years, meaning you can only request reviews or claim refunds for the last four years. For example, claims for 2021 must be made by 31 December 2025.
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