The European Commission pulled no punches on Tuesday 30 August, when it ordered Ireland to recover some €10 billion in undue tax breaks enjoyed by the American giant Apple since 1991.
This decision, which argues that through an Irish tax ruling, Apple received illegal state aid, follows on from its previous conclusions on Starbucks and Fiat. The message sent out to the member states today is that a ruling does not validate any allocation of a company's profits that does not reflect the...