For the next few days, Ireland could face a fine for not yet having collected the amount corresponding to Apple's back taxes.
According to information published by the Bloomberg media, the European Commission will sanction Ireland with a "measure of non-compliance" for failing to collect Apple's $ 17.600 billion in back taxes, on the basis that the Commission concluded that the Irish government negotiated agreements with the Cupertino company exclusively that constituted illegal state aid.
Fine to Ireland for not complying with the sanction of the European Commission
The sanction in question could be made public as soon as this week, an unidentified source would have revealed to Bloomberg. This "measure of non-compliance" will come in the form of a lawsuit that, if won by European regulators, will result in a financial fine that will further raise the total amount of the original money owed.
On January 3, Ireland was urged to collect back taxes from Apple however, the government of that country has resisted both publicly and legally.
Both Apple and the Irish government have been working on an appeal. According to Ireland, the terms of the agreements with Apple were also available to other companies. For its part, Apple has always maintained that it strictly complies with the law in each country in which it operates.
However, the European Commission concluded that Irlanda designed rules that allowed Apple to pay as little as 0,005% in taxes during 2014. In addition, the company has been funneling billions in international revenue through Irish operations instead of paying the corresponding taxes in each of the countries where the sales have been generated.
La appeal Apple and Ireland could be extended for up to five years. In the meantime, both parties have organized a fundraising plan whereby the Irish government will guard the money in hopes of returning it to Apple once they are victorious, if that eventually happens.