By news@appleinsider.com (Charles Martin) The European Union will issue a “final” ruling — barring appeals — on a decades-long dispute over a 2004 tax deal between its own Commission, and Ireland and iPhone maker Apple. At stake is at least 13 billion Euros ($14.5 billion) in possible back taxes.Apple’s European headquarters, located in Cork, Ireland.The court case has ramifications for Apple for much of its global business, as the headquarters in Cork, Ireland is Apple’s headquarters for all of its non-US commerce. Apple and Ireland are fighting the EU over the legality of the tax deal the country made with Apple in 2004.Back then, Ireland made a 10-year tax deal with Apple that allowed the company to set up two subsidiaries within the same company, rather than two completely separate companies, to take advantage of a tax loophole. Ireland had previously had an existing tax haven known as the “Double Irish,” where foreign companies could set up two subsidiary companies in Ireland to handle different aspects of the main business. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Source:: Apple Insider