ECJ in blow to Apple tax fight

Apple and Anheuser-Busch InBev may face a tough battle in disputes over EU demands for back taxes after the bloc’s top court partly backed regulators’ attempt to force Spanish firms to repay millions of euro in tax breaks.

In a ruling that could ultimately add impetus to the EU’s clampdown on special tax treatment for selected companies, judges at the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg said a lower tribunal should re-examine a Spanish system that gave tax breaks to companies, including Banco Santander, for the acquisition of stakes in foreign firms.

Those tax advantages must now be repaid, the EU said.