Kenny denies Ireland cut ‘special tax rates’ with firms

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has dismissed allegations by leading US senators that Ireland is a tax haven that cuts special deals with corporate giants like Apple.

The insistence during Dáil exchanges came as Apple’s head of tax operations Phillip Bullock confirmed that two of the company’s Irish subsidiaries, Apple Operations Europe and Apple Sales International, paid tax at a rate of just 2% in Ireland — but said they were not tax resident in Ireland.

However, the company did not confirm the US senate investigators assertions that the company had negotiated a 2% tax deal with Ireland.