The European Union’s highest court rejects Apple’s last appeal in Ireland tax case, upholding 13 billion euro payment ruling

The top court of the European Union has put an end to Apple’s lengthy legal battle against an order to repay 13 billion euros in back taxes to Ireland. The European Court of Justice rejected Apple’s final challenge, upholding the European Commission’s 2016 decision that Ireland granted Apple unlawful aid that must be recovered.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, had previously criticized the case, calling it “total political crap,” while former U.S. President Donald Trump referred to European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who led the investigation into special tax deals involving U.S. tech giants, as the “tax lady” who “really hates the U.S.”
After the 2020 ruling by the European Union’s General Court, which had contradicted the European Commission’s accusations of Apple benefiting from an illegal tax arrangement with Irish authorities, Apple expressed disappointment with the recent decision, maintaining that there was never a special deal in place.