Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

A spokesperson for Apple testified to the US Senate that it paid 2% tax in Ireland and had negotiated that with the Irish Government. I find the explanation on ASI extraordinary. A company that made €22 billion in profit in one year and which is registered in this country only paid €10 million, or 0.5%, in tax. The Minister claimed it can do that because it is nothing to do with him, and it is paying tax on its business in Ireland and everything is fine and dandy. That is unacceptable and ludicrous.

This is a company, which as a result of us facilitating it, is getting away with paying virtually no tax at all. As the Minister rightly says, it has big operations here. How, therefore, is it getting away with paying so little tax if it is registered here? The Minister says this is just an accountancy procedure and not alchemy. However, it is difficult to tell the difference between these two things because what the company is managing to do to avoid paying tax is bordering on magic. The Minister seems to be advising that we should not look into this because it might endanger jobs.