Apple does not need to pay €13bn Irish tax bill, EU court rules

European commission failed to prove Apple had benefited from arrangement, court finds

The European commission has been dealt a major blow in its battle to stop EU member states granting sweetheart tax deals to multinational corporations after the bloc's general court ruled that Apple did not need to pay 13bn (11.7bn) in back taxes to the Irish government.

The Luxembourg-based court found the EU's executive body had failed to prove that the iPhone maker benefited from an allegedly illegal arrangement with the Irish authorities, in a decision with wide repercussions for the bloc's plans to clamp down on tax avoidance.