Dáil debates

Wednesday, 7 September 2016

Government Appeal of European Commission Decision on State Aid to Apple: Motion

 

9:05 pm

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann:" and substitute the following:"notes:

— that appealing the decision of the European Commission creates uncertainty thereby causing further reputational damage to Ireland;

— the decision to appeal the ruling of the European Commission was made without recourse to Dáil Éireann despite there being a significant cost to the State associated with such a decision;

— the need to reaffirm the 12.5 per cent rate of Corporation Tax and ensure that the effective tax paid by corporations is commensurate with that rate;

— that the tax ruling provided to Apple was unethical and resulted in a significant loss of revenue to Ireland and other States;

— that appealing the European Commission's decision requires the State to refuse any amounts found to be owed to it by a multi-billion dollar corporation; and

— that the European Court of Justice has a strong track record of supporting the decisions of the European Commission thus rendering this appeal a costly but futile exercise;

confirms that proceeding with the appeal will be a hugely costly legal exercise further impacting the loss to the State associated with the tax ruling;

notes the valuable work that the European Commissioner for Competition has undertaken over recent years; and

calls for:

— an immediate commitment to close any current loopholes which allow for the avoidance of tax; and

— a deferral of the vote on the Government’s motion until the full ruling is published and made available."

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