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Apple to start paying Ireland the billions it owes in back taxes
Last year, the European Commission ruled that Apple's sweetheart tax deal with Ireland was illegal and that the company owed around $14.5 billion in back taxes. But Ireland was rather slow to start collecting that cash, which led the Commission to refer the Irish government to the European Court of Justice in October due to Ireland's non-compliance with the 2016 ruling. However, the Wall Street Journal reports today that the country will finally start collecting those billions of dollars owed by Apple and it may start doing so early next year.
Europe takes Ireland to court over Apple's $14.5 billion tax bill
The European Commission has announced that it will refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice for not collecting back taxes that it is owed by Apple. More than a year after a sweetheart deal between Ireland and the iPhone maker was ruled illegal, the country has dragged its feet in asking Tim Cook for the cash. Tired of waiting around, Commissioner Margrethe Vestager (pictured) has referred the nation to the continent's highest court, which can then impose fines for non-compliance.
France and Germany want Apple and Google to pay their taxes
France and Germany are looking to make major tech companies like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon begin paying their fair share of taxes. The move comes as many European leaders have expressed frustration at how these companies focus their profits and costs in countries that tax them at the lowest rates. "Europe must learn to defend its economic interest much more firmly -- China does it, the U.S. does it," French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Bloomberg. "You cannot take the benefit of doing business in France or in Europe without paying the taxes that other companies -- French or European companies -- are paying."
Ireland votes to stop investing public money in fossil fuels
Ireland just took a big step toward cutting coal and oil out of the picture. Its Parliament has passed a bill that stops the country from investing in fossil fuels as part of an €8 billion ($8.6 billion) government fund. The measure still has to clear a review before it becomes law, but it would make Ireland the first nation to completely eliminate public funding for fossil fuel sources. Even countries that have committed to ditching non-renewable energy, like Iceland, can't quite make that claim. The closest is Norway, which ditched some of its investments back in 2015.
Apple moving international iTunes arm to Ireland next month
In a note sent out to developers, Apple has confirmed it's moving its international iTunes business from Luxembourg to its European hub in Ireland effective February 5th. The company pre-empted the move last September, when it transferred all developer contracts and an estimated $9 billion in assets between the countries in preparation. And from next month, responsibility for Apple's iTunes arm serving over 100 countries (not including the US) -- and covering the iTunes, iBook and App Stores as well as Apple Music -- will formally transfer to its offices in Cork, Ireland.
Ireland says EU overstepped authority over Apple tax bill
Ireland says the European Union overstepped its authority and misinterpreted the country's laws when it ordered the country to claim 13 billion euros ($13.59 billion) in allegedly unpaid taxes from Apple. The company will also reportedly dispute this figure later this week. It's by far the highest tax bill chased by the EU, and is one of multiple cases it's pursuing against corporate tax deals granted by EU countries. The commission says that lower tax bills create illegal "state aid", giving firms advantages over rivals.
Apple formally challenges the EU's tax demands
Apple is about to fight the European Commission's claims that it must pay the €13 billion in back taxes ($13.6 billion) it allegedly owes from its deal with Ireland. The American firm tells Reuters that it's planning to appeal the ruling this week on the grounds that it not only can't abide by the decision, but that the figures don't make sense. To start, Apple argues that the EC falsely determined that two of its business units existed solely on paper, and thus didn't justify their untaxed profits. They were real, actively managed companies, the company claims. Also, Apple reportedly can't comply with the decision without making Ireland violate past tax laws that had different rules for residents and non-residents.
Mirai botnet targets Deutsche Telekom routers in global cyberattack
The German Office for Information Security confirmed on Tuesday that not only had nearly a million routers on the Deutsche Telekom (DT) network been recently attacked but that the assault was part of a larger campaign stretching across the world.
Facebook goes full Snapchat with filters and vanishing messages
Facebook has "borrowed" a lot of ideas from Snapchat lately, including the concept for Instagram Stories and Facebook Live selfie filters. In perhaps its most audacious move yet, the social network has started testing a new camera that lets you take selfies and videos with filters, effects and masks, which you can then share with friends in your News Feed. If nobody replies within 24 hours, they'll disappear.
Facebook says it shouldn't pay back taxes from Irish loophole
Apple and Google aren't the only big tech companies fighting against requests to pay back taxes they allegedly racked up through loopholes. Filings obtained by Ars Technica show that Facebook is resisting the IRS' request for taxes owed after the social network reportedly undervalued property transferred to its Irish holding company. If you ask the US agency, Facebook owes $1.7 million plus interest for at least 2010. That doesn't sound like much for such a profitable company, but Facebook claims that it could wind up paying $3 billion to $5 billion (before interest and penalties) if the IRS really does want money from the past several years.
Tim Cook says EU tax ruling is 'total political crap'
Apple and other giant tech companies have long stashed cash overseas where they've paid less taxes on it, but the days of that happening could be numbered. Earlier this week, the EU said that Apple must pay back a whopping $14.5 billion plus interest because of an illegal tax deal between the company and Ireland. Unsurprisingly, Apple is appealing the ruling, and CEO Tim Cook is angry at the way the company's actions have been characterized.
EU Commission: Apple must repay its $14.5b Irish tax break
The European Commission has ruled that Apple was given up to €13 billion ($14.5/£11.1 billion) in an illegal sweetheart tax deal with the Irish government. The amount of money involved here dwarfs the EU antitrust penalties handed out to Google, Microsoft and others, but this is effectively a backdated tax bill, rather than a fine. Officials opened the investigation into Apple's tax affairs back in 2013 and soon found that the agreement that it had signed with Ireland was illegal.
Tim Cook: 'Apple could unlock iPhones, but won't'
To celebrate both Tim Cook's fifth year at the helm of Apple and the production of the billionth iPhone, the chief has sat down with the Washington Post. It's very much a goodwill piece, although there are a few insights into both Cook and Apple that the CEO lets slip along the way. For instance, on the subject of the San Bernardino iPhone, the company did spend a long time working out if they could unlock it. After deciding that it was possible, but that it'd be extremely difficult to stop the exploit being shared, Cook refused to do it. As he explains, "the risk of what happens if it got out, we felt, could be incredibly terrible for public safety."
Irish court orders accused Silk Road admin's extradition to US
Silk Road's saga hasn't ended just because some of its primary architects are behind bars. An Irish court has ordered the extradition of Gary Davis, an alleged key administrator for the Dark Web-based black market, to the US. Davis reportedly both handled customer questions and organized Silk Road's many items (including drugs and hacking tools) into sections. He's poised to appeal the ruling, and for good reason: he could face a life sentence if the US convicts him.
Microsoft victory protects overseas data from US warrants
For the past three years, Microsoft has been locked in a legal battle with the New York district court over a deceptively simple question: does a US Judge have the right to issue a warrant for data stored overseas? According to a new ruling from the US Court of Appeals Second Circuit, the answer, is no.
NBCUniversal has a streaming service for reality TV fans
If you're a fan of American reality TV shows but you live in the UK, Ireland or Australia, you'll soon be in luck. NBCUNiversal announced Hayu, a streaming service dedicated to the high-quality content only reality television can offer. The monthly subscription will give viewers in those locales access to over 3,000 episodes of shows like The Real Housewives, Top Chef franchises, Made in Chelsea, The Millionaire Matchmaker and RuPaul's Drag Race. And, perhaps most importantly, Keeping Up with the Kardashians and its spinoffs will be included, too.
Apple fined $347 million for Italian tax... irregularities
Apple's Italian subsidiary has reportedly been slapped with a €318 million ($347 million) bill for failing to pay tax in the country. According to the BBC and La Repubblica, authorities found disparities between the amount of money it brought in and the amount it handed over between 2008 and 2013. In that five-year period, it's believed that the firm paid just €30 million ($33 million), significantly less than the €880 million ($961 million) it's believed to have owed.
YouTube Kids entertains children outside of the US
Some seven months after launching, YouTube Kids is expanding outside of America. Folks living in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom can access the family friendly section of Google's video wing. What's more, Mountain View says that the apps' been downloaded over 10 million times to date and that apparently more time has been spent watching "Wheels on the Bus" than "Gagnam Style." Mind you, the "Wheels on the Bus" video is almost an hour long versus just over four minutes for PSY's smash hit. Oh, and Google says to keep an eye out for upcoming holiday specials on the app over the next few weeks. [Image credit: Associated Press]
Apple plans to add 1,000 more jobs in Ireland
Apple is gearing up to add another 1,000 employees in Ireland, and it's also expanding its headquarters in Cork to make room for the new crop, reports RTÉ. That would bring the company's total count of employees in Ireland up to 6,000, and it's an easy way for it to demonstrate its commitment to Ireland. That's particularly useful, now that the European Commission is probing into Apple's tax situation in the country, which has been criticized for being a bit too friendly (and illegal). Ireland plans to end Apple's tax deal in a few years, but it'll still have the benefit of fairly low corporate tax rates.
Microsoft takes on the US government over data held overseas
Do you think that America's law enforcement agencies should have free access to the emails of your friends over in Ireland? It's the question that an appeals court is being asked to consider in a matter that has serious consequences for everyone in the world. The issue began when drug enforcement officials wanted to access to messages that were stored on a Microsoft server in Dublin. As far as Microsoft was concerned, that was a matter for the Irish government, but the g-people tried to hold the company's US arm accountable. Disturbingly, the US won the first two legal challenges, and now New York's 2nd circuit is about to hear to the appeal on behalf of Microsoft, with some cheering on from the rest of the technology industry.