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Apple style sweetheart deals lessen opportunity for ordinary businesses – Kenny

1 September, 2016 - by Martin Kenny TD

Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny has said that Apple avoiding its tax obligations in this sweetheart deal to the value of €13 billion, exposes successive Irish governments failure to maintain a level playing field for all businesses in the jurisdiction.

Deputy Kenny said;

"The government has an obligation to ensure that there is level playing field for all businesses in the jurisdiction, and this arrangement which was in place for Apple up until 2014, clearly gave a massive advantage to the biggest corporation in the world. 

“That is what the EU Commission has found, that fair play was not applied, it has not anywhere sought to change the 12.5% rate of corporate tax.

“No small manufacturing company or publican or hairdresser could have hidden 99% of their profits in something called head office and expect to be let away with it, and that is what is outraging people all over the country.

“What we have is the biggest corporation in the world taking all its profits from Europe, Asia and Africa into Ireland where they were allowed to avoid paying tax to any taxation authority on almost all these huge profits. The sweetheart deal for Apple was simply wrong and should never have happened and now it has come home to roost.

“Even more astonishing is that our government wants to appeal this ruling and let Apple off without paying the €13 billion. When has anyone ever heard of a government not wanting to collect tax? The talk of damage to our international reputation is an insult to the intelligence of Irish people.

“Ireland has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in a developed economy at 12.5% and that offers advantages to many international companies who are based here. They should all have paid that 12.5% on their profits, just the same as any Irish company - we need to establish a level paying field.”

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