Google and Apple have been slapped with astronomical fines in the EU. Well, truth be said, Apple’s is way higher than Google’s both both are billions of euros, so… they’re astronomical either way.
Both Google & Apple have received astronomical fines in the EU, but Apple’s is much higher
With that being said, let’s first check out what’s going on with Apple, as that company received a much higher fine. The EU has fined Apple with €13 billion ($14.3 billion), yes, you read that right. The company has been fined because of unpaid taxes to Ireland.
The company has been fined by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). This all started 8 years ago, actually. That’s when the European Commission accused Ireland of giving Apple illegal tax advantages.
Today, the European Court of Justice said that the matter was final. It said that “Ireland granted Apple unlawful aid which Ireland is required to recover”. Apple said that it’s disappointed with the ruling and also accused the EC of “trying to retroactively change the rules”.
Google has been fined with €2.4 billion
Apple was not the only tech giant that received a massive fine in the EU today. In a separate case, Google has been fined €2.4 billion ($2.6 billion) for abusing the market dominance of its shopping comparison service.
Much like Apple, Google said it was “disappointed” with the ruling. This case was in the making for a long, long time. It was first kicked off back in 2009 by British firm Foundem.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ), who made the ruling, said that the European Commission was right to find Google’s conduct “discriminatory”, and that Google’s appeal “must be dismissed in its entirety”.
What’s interesting is that this fine was originally levied by the European Commission back in 2017. Google did say that it made changes back in 2017 in order to comply with the European Commission’s decision.
Today is not a good day for Apple or Google, as these are truly massive fines.
2024-09-10 15:07:08