Arvind Lall, a lecturer in Taxation and Ethics in the Kent Business School comments on the state-aid taxation case brought by the European Union against Ireland and Apple.
‘Not only is Apple being questioned separately but the Irish government is viewed as giving illegal state aid. Not surprisingly this is being challenged by the Irish government and by Apple.
‘In my opinion we are seeing the power of (parliamentary) democracy vested in governments, and if not used then the governments are not doing their job, or indeed may be acting illegally by inaction.
‘So we see a socio-political test extended to include legal issues now going through the EU courts. The implications could be huge against future tax avoidance in Europe and beyond if this test case succeeds in the end. We await the outcome with much interest.’
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