The European Commission has referred the Irish government to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over its failure to collect more than €13bn (U.S.$15.3bn) in back taxes from Apple, and has also ordered Luxembourg to claim around €250m (U.S.$294m) in unpaid taxes from Amazon.
The move signifies a greater willingness by the Commission to root out corporate tax avoidance and pours fresh doubts on the written assurances that companies have sought—and received—from EU governments that say that their tax affairs are in order.
