“I believe we can iron out a few important details and agree a compromise with our government partners”, the Athlone-based TD told independent.ie at Leinster House. “They should oppose any appeal and insist that the correct tax bill is paid by Apple”, Sinn Fein’s David Cullinane said in a statement. “The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek Cabinet approval to appeal the decision before the European courts”.
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Following the European Commission’s ruling to charge Apple a €13 billion tax bill on Tuesday, The Irish Government stood by the big Apple, claiming to appeal the decision.
It said the cabinet received a detailed briefing from Noonan, adding that the cabinet had an opportunity to examine the full text of the EC’s decision, which is a “lengthy and complex” document.
“The Government meeting will resume on Friday at 11am to make a decision on the matter”.
The minority government led by Noonan’s Fine Gael is reliant on the support of a number of independent lawmakers, a group of whom, the Independent Alliance, said on Tuesday that they were reviewing the decision and would need to further consult with Noonan, tax officials and independent experts.
Talks were continuing today on what had the appearance of an impasse between both sides of Cabinet, after the Independent Alliance refused to commit to an appeal against the ruling.
The Independent Alliance’s support is necessary to get the needed support in Irish Parliament for the country to be able to appeal.
Thus, Kenny failed to win cabinet backing for an immediate move to launch an appeal through the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Describing the Commission’s view as “very, very flawed”, he said “essentially what they are doing is retrospectively changing tax law”.
Dublin has already seen a jump in inquiries, particularly from financial services firms.
Others on the streets of Dublin shared the government’s concerns.
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“Obviously we’d love it … but it’s a poisoned apple”.
