EU to Issue Decision in Apple Tax Probe This Fall: Reuters

The European Union antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager had a busy Apple agenda today: She has met both with Ireland’s finance minister and with US Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew to discuss the European economy and transatlantic cooperation; and, of course, Apple’s tax affairs in Ireland, as Vestager already has two draft decisions on that, according to Bloomberg.

While the ruling was rumoured to be coming in July, speaking with Reuters, Ireland’s finance minister Michael Noonan said the decision will be reached sometime in the fall.

“Commissioner Vestager indicated to me that there wouldn’t be a decision in July but there would probably be a decision early in the autumn. My expectation is September or early October,” Michael Noonan told a news conference after meeting antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager on Tuesday. “I didn’t discuss the potential decision but we did discuss the presentation of the decision. I have no indication of what way the decision will go or what the implications of the decision will be,” the finance minister said.

Apple allegedly struck a tax deal with Ireland between 1991 and 2007, which gave an unfair advantage to the company, according to the EU Commission’s initial report. Apple denies any wrongdoing, as does the Irish government.