Why the people of this Irish city love Apple

However, in an interview with the Irish Independent today, Cook dismissed the EU’s claim that his company owes the Irish taxman a bill of €13bn, arguing that the ruling was “total political crap” and warning Ireland that the European Union was seeking to expand its powers over national governments.

“We provisioned several billion dollars for the USA for payment for as soon as we repatriate it, and right now I would forecast that repatriation to occur next year”, Cook said in an interview with Irish broadcaster RTE news.

Apple Inc.AAPL 0.02 % Chief Executive Tim Cook said the company may repatriate at least some of the billions of dollars of cash it holds offshore as early as next year, in comments made in the wake of a tax clawback decision €13 billion ($14.5 billion) by European authorities.

“They just picked a number from I don’t know where”, Cook continued.

The Apple boss insisted the numbers had been set out in the company’s quarterly accounts and that Apple paid $400m (£300m) corporation tax in Ireland in 2014, the same amount in similarly classed tax in the United States, and set aside billions more for tax bills in America that year.

Ireland’s deal, used to persuade big business to be based in the country and boost employment, allowed Apple to pay a maximum tax rate of only one per cent.

“Apple paid an effective tax rate of 0.005% in 2014 on the profits of Apple Sales International”.

Vestager said she would meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew in Washington in September to further discuss the Apple tax case. “It is not a political act, it is a tax move”, clarified Vestager, answering to Cook’s allegations on Irish RTE radio, that EU Commission’s Tuesday decision is both politically based and invalid.

Mr Cook said he was “very confident” the ruling would be overturned on appeal.

Ireland’s governing coalition government is split over whether it should immediately appeal against the commission’s ruling.

He also criticized the retrospective nature of the order, which covers alleged unpaid taxes from 1993-2001. However, Cook insisted that Apple and Ireland had “played by the rules” and would win the case on appeal.

Is the EU’s £11bn tax bill for Apple fair? It has no basis in fact or in law, and unfortunately it’s one of those things we have to work through. “I feel like Ireland stuck with Apple when it wasn’t easy to stick with Apple, and now we’re sticking with Ireland”. More than just lip service, Cook had plenty of nice things to say about the country and the 37-year “deep relationship” it’s had with Apple. “We believe we’re the largest taxpayer there”, he said.

“It’s total political crap”.