Following the $14.5 billion dollar penalty imposed on Apple, Tim Cook, CEO of the iPhone maker, had a few choice words for the European Union (E.U.)
Cook told the Irish Independent newspaper that the E.U. penalty was “total political crap.” He added that the decision is “invalid” and that neither Ireland nor Apple “did anything wrong.” In Cook’s view, the European Commission’s verdict has absolutely no basis in “law or fact.”
Cook thinks Ireland is being picked on and the ruling from the European Commission is “unacceptable,” (RELATED: EU Levies $14 Billion Tax On Apple, INSISTS Ireland Take The Money).
The head of Apple told the press that the commission literally “picked a number from I don’t know where,” according to the Irish Independent. The commission says Apple payed a mere hundredth of a percent tax for its business in Ireland, Cook says the company paid out “$400 million.”
Cook urged Ireland to stay strong and announced that the company will continue to expand its operations in Cork, Ireland. It has been 37 years since Apple launched its operations in Cork. Cook likened the partnership to a marriage saying, it’s been a “37-year marriage, and like any marriage you go through a pothole here and there,” the Independent reports.
This isn’t the first time Cook expressed his commitment to stick with Ireland. In a public letter to Apple customers on Aug. 30, Cook wrote: “We are committed to Ireland and we plan to continue investing there, growing and serving our customers with the same level of passion and commitment. We firmly believe that the facts and the established legal principles upon which the EU was founded will ultimately prevail.”
While Cook cannot appeal the decision on behalf of the Irish government, he said he was “pretty confident the Irish government will do the right thing and I think the right thing is to stand up and fight against this over-reach,” according to the Financial Times.
Cook concluded his statements with a quip of strength, “we are not going to let an invalid ruling — a politically-based ruling — affect our commitment to Ireland,” the Financial Times reports.
Send tips to robert@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.