Apple and Google have both lost significant legal battles in Europe, as the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled against them in two landmark cases. Apple was ordered to pay $14.4 billion in back taxes after the court upheld a 2016 European Commission decision that Ireland had unlawfully granted the tech giant tax benefits. This ruling closes a prolonged dispute where Apple had contested the Commission’s findings, arguing it had already paid taxes in the U.S. on the same profits. The ECJ’s decision reinforces the European Union’s tough stance on tax avoidance by large multinationals.
Google’s appeal against a $2.6 billion antitrust fine was dismissed in a separate case. The Commission fined Google in 2017 for abusing its dominance in online search by prioritizing its comparison shopping service over competitors. The court’s rulings in both cases are final, and the companies have no further recourse for appeal. European authorities, including outgoing antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, have emphasized that these decisions reflect the EU’s commitment to holding Big Tech accountable for anticompetitive practices and unfair tax arrangements, signaling increased regulatory pressure on major tech firms in Europe.
