Noonan: Ruling expected by Christmas in Apple 'sweetheart deal' case
The Finance Minister Michael Noonan has said we could know before Christmas whether Ireland will be punished for alleged "sweetheart deals" with Apple.
Michael Noonan said the European Commission might be able to issue a ruling in the next few months over claims that Apple was unfairly able to negotiate its tax arrangements.
If the Commission finds a breach of the rules, Apple could be forced to pay billions in euro in arrears taxes to the Irish state.
Michael Noonan insisted Ireland had done nothing wrong, and said any finding against us would be appealed.
"We have an indication a ruling may come between now and Christmas," he said. "We don’t think anything that happens will be damaging to us."
