Starbucks’s Irish operation paid €4,196 in corporation tax last year after two years of making no contribution to the State’s coffers.

The Irish arm of coffee giant Starbucks increased its profits by 47% to €721,327 in 2012 — but paid no corporation tax.

Apple has paid less than 2% tax on its overseas profits, documents yesterday showed after the iPad and iPhone giant slashed the amount foreign taxmen receive.

Coffee-shop chain Starbucks has only paid €35,000 in taxes in Ireland since 2005, while paying €5.7m in royalty and licensing fees to its parent company, accounts filed by the US coffee chain’s wholly-owned Irish subsidiary Ritea Ltd show.