David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of the corporation tax paid by Apple in this State in the past ten years or more. It has not been clarified. In fact, quite the opposite is the case. Many questions need to be answered. Senator Clune correctly mentioned our 12.5% corporation tax rate, but the majority of multinationals are not paying anything like 12.5%. There is no effective corporation tax rate. This situation contrasts clearly with the taxes that ordinary working people are increasingly asked to pay, for example, property tax and indirect taxes.

Yesterday, Apple's CEO, Mr. Tim Cook, told the US Senate investigation committee that Apple had quietly negotiated a corporate tax deal directly with the Irish Government. The Government has a responsibility to explain how the CEO of a multinational company could make such a statement. If there was no direct negotiation with the Government or a Minister, we need to be told about the contacts between Apple and representatives of the Revenue Commissioners or the Department of Finance. I will provide the facts quickly. Mr. Cook confirmed that Apple paid on average a 2% corporation tax rate in this State for the past ten years. In 2011, it paid a rate of 0.05%. It is not correct to claim that Apple's subsidiaries employ 3,500 people in Ireland. One of them employs no one and the other employs 250 people. Multinational companies are using this State as-----