The EU says Ireland will be forced to take the €13bn they’re owed by Apple

The EU are not happy that the Irish government seemed to be playing favourites with the world's biggest technology company.

Ireland's decision not to chase up the €13 billion in taxes from Apple has been referred to the European Court of Justice by the EU Commission. In August 2016, the EU gave Ireland a deadline of January 2017 to recoup the €13 billion in illegal state aid that Apple had benefitted from in this country. The money - which was never collected - was due to be held in an escrow account pending appeals by both the State and Apple against the decision. The worry for the Irish government was, of course, that its favourable corporation tax rates could be compromised and therefore deter foreign companies and multi-nationals from setting up shop here, particularly in the wake of Brexit. However, it is now expected that Apple will be forced to hand over the money by March next year. “We, of course, understand that recovery in certain cases may be more complex than others, and we always hope to assist,” said EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. “But member states need to make sufficient progress to restore competition. That is why we have today decided to refer Ireland to the EU court for failing to implement our decision.”