Apple ruling: Taxpayer privacy rules out enquiry

THE standard response in this country to any controversy is a call for a public enquiry. A few weeks ago, it was to investigate ticketing; this week, it’s for multinationals. What could an enquiry achieve?

EU commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s statement on Tuesday, concerning state aid to Apple, is a crucial escalation in an investigation that began several years ago. Predictably, the political response here, in some quarters, has been to call for further investigation.

The EU Commission’s state aid investigation was prompted by matters brought into the public domain by the permanent subcommittee on Investigations of the US senate, in May 2013. Back then, the senate subcommittee compiled a report highlighting Apple’s structure in Ireland.