As he meets with Apple CEO, Varadkar must push for fairer tax arrangements for multinationals

First meeting since EU referred Ireland to European Court of Justice

As the Taoiseach meets with Apple CEO, Tim Cook today, Oxfam Ireland is urging him to stress that the days of special deals for companies like Apple are over.

During his trip, the Taoiseach will meet with senior executives from several tech firms including Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Google. This will be the first meeting between the Taoiseach and Apple since the European Commission announced it was referring Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to collect €13 billion of state aid from the company.

Oxfam Ireland, CEO Jim Clarken said; “These meetings are an ideal opportunity for the Taoiseach to make an unambiguous commitment to reforming the tax arrangements for multinationals operating in Ireland.

Ireland’s needs to stop blocking EU plans to ensure all multinationals in the EU show greater transparency when detailing where they make their profits and pay their taxes.  As long as tax dodging continues to drain state coffers, there will be less money to spend on important public services.

Most Irish people understand that negotiating special tax deals like the one that allowed Apple to avoid paying €13 billion has greatly damaged Ireland’s international standing and reputataion.

Greater tax transparency would make it easier to verify whether companies’ tax bills reflect their real economic activity and to hold them to account if not. Fairer tax arrangements are good for Ireland, good for the EU and good for developing countries. The Taoiseach now has the opportunity to show leadership by insisting on arrangements which ensure big corporations pay a fair share of their big profits in taxation.”

This week Oxfam realised a video highlighting the impact on poorer countries.  Less than half of the amount of tax which companies dodge in poor countries per year would be enough to pay for essential healthcare to prevent the needless deaths of eight million mothers, babies and children. 

ENDS

Daniel English

Oxfam Ireland

086 3544954