Turkish Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economy, Mehmet Şimşek, invited Tuesday technology giant Apple to move to Turkey after the company was ordered to pay a record 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) back in taxes in Ireland.
"Apple should move to Turkey. Happy to provide more generous tax incentives. Won't have to deal with EU bureaucracy" Şimşek wrote in a tweet.
Apple should move to Turkey. Happy to provide more generous tax incentives. Won't have to deal with EU bureaucracyhttps://t.co/9ceOnauGi0
— Mehmet Simsek (@memetsimsek) August 30, 2016
Brussels said Apple, the world's most valuable company, avoided virtually all tax on its business in the bloc by illegal arrangements with Dublin which gave the company an unfair advantage over competitors.
Apple and the Irish government immediately said they would appeal against the European Commission ruling, with the iPhone maker warning it could cost European jobs.
Ireland has attracted multinationals over many years by offering extremely favorable sweetheart tax deals to generate much-needed jobs and investment but Brussels said it broke EU laws on state aid.
"This decision sends a clear message. Member states cannot give unfair tax benefits to selected companies, no matter if European or foreign, large or small," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said.
"This is not a penalty, this is unpaid taxes to be paid," Vestager said as she presented the findings of a three-year investigation.
The announcement comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Brussels over a series of EU anti-trust investigations targeting other giant US companies such as Google, Amazon, McDonald's, Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler.
