MILAN – The day after the big fine from 13 billion euro against Apple for the illegal tax agreement closely with Ireland, the European Commission officials hide behind the classic “no comment “. While in Dublin it met the government to decide the time and manner of any appeal against the decision of Brussels. From the United States, meanwhile, returns to speak Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, on the one hand concerned about the European activism against American companies, the other urging the US Congress to take action on the tax system.
All ‘ agenda of the Irish government’s meeting is the desire to appeal against Brussels, but the timing of the action announced by the Minister of Finance, Michael Noonan, but could slip to allow a thorough discussion “of the anxieties and concerns” of some components of the team. In particular, according to local media, some doubts about the choice of immediately raising the legal standard the tone of confrontation with the EU has been expressed by some “independent ministers.”
Since the EU Commission offices, instead , everything’s quiet. A choice certainly not dictated by concerns about the reactions of Dublin or the Americans, but because – they say European sources – has already been the same Competition Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, saying not to fear setbacks for investment in Europe. “When I see the work they are doing my colleagues Katainen for Juncker and Bienkowska Plan for the internal market, are not concerned” about the future of investment in Europe, he has already warned yesterday Vestager, recalling the action similar to her the distant predecessor Mario Monti. Despite his maxi-fine to Microsoft, there was no impact on investment ‘hi-tech’ in the EU. And as for the clash with the US, he added the Commissioner, with their “we share the same approach of OECD and G20 in the fight against tax evasion and the same values of fair taxation to citizens”, adding despite allegations of Treasury American, had not changed “no rule.”
However, the US Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, returning to talk about the case Apple has wanted to emphasize that the main EU actions seem concentrated on companies American. Washington fears that Brussels uses the theory of state aid to the rules on fees and believe that the EU’s approach jeopardizes the European fiscal framework. Also why Lew asks Congress to act to address the crux of the tax reform stating that America shares with the EU’s commitment to close tax loopholes for circumvention.
Meanwhile, in his latest publishing the New York Times is not sparing Cupertino. “Apple has started an aggressive tax planning for at least a decade, which led her to hide $ 100 billion in Ireland, earned without paying taxes anywhere in the world, as evidenced by an investigation by the US Senate . With an excess of arrogance, the company believed that its magheggi into a full-blown tax haven like Ireland were never considered illegal, although the European Union had already taken action against other companies such as Amazon, Fiat and BASF. “
According to the newspaper, the United States, however, were wrong because instead of wasting time to decide how much and how to tax the capital of US companies abroad would have to act quickly, at least before the intervention of the ‘ European Union. Now attack Europe does not make sense, rather it is a battle behind the lines. It would be better that Democrats and Republicans could agree on how to attack the 2.1 trillion US dollars parked abroad. The same opinion, the Financial Times, pointing the finger at Apple: the European sanction was “a boon”, in the US the company would have shelled out more than they asked from Brussels.
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