Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Whoever wrote the Tánaiste's reply seems to have lost the plot halfway through. The fact of the matter is that Apple Sales International's returns in Australia show that it was able to cut its tax bill by availing of lower rates of tax on income, which was a reference to the 12.5% tax on corporate profits in Ireland. Something does not add up here. The Tánaiste cannot on the one hand say there is no such thing as reduced rates and, on the other hand, that there is, in fact, some way in which companies can get around it.

It is quite evident what is happening here - €36 million was paid by Apple to the Irish Exchequer. That money has to have come from somewhere and it did not come from the 12.5% corporation tax. The company is not domiciled in Ireland for tax purposes, so why was that sum paid? The Tánaiste's answer is not good enough and it does not add up. Someone is telling porkies here. The Tánaiste and Apple management should get together and present a proper response to this question.

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