Tim Cook: Apple's €13bn tax bill 'total political crap'

Cook claims Apple paid full corporate tax rate in Ireland - not the 0.005 per cent claimed by the European Commission

Apple's Tim Cook has continued his attack on the European Commission's demand earlier this week that the computer giant pay €13bn to the Irish government that it says it owes in unpaid taxes.

The demand followed an investigation by the Commission, which concluded that the level of tax that Apple was paying in the Irish Republic, where its EU HQ is located, amounted to illegal state aid.

But Cook (pictured) - formerly Apple's chief financial officer and, therefore, professionally knowledgeable about the company's tax and accounting practices - described the demand as "maddening" and "total political crap" in an interview with the Irish Independent.

However, the company will continue to invest in its long-established corporate base in Cork, and will work with the Irish government, which also opposes the ruling, to appeal against it.

Indeed, Cook rejected the substance of the ruling and claimed that the figures were wrong.

"They just picked a number from I don't know where. In the year that the Commission says we paid that tax figure, we actually paid $400m. We believe that makes us the highest taxpayer in Ireland that year," Cook told the newspaper.

"I have no idea where the number came from. Here is the truth: in that year we paid $400m to Ireland and that was based on the statutory rate of 12.5 per cent."

According to Cook, in 1998, soon after Jobs returned and Cook was appointed, Apple planned to close the Cork facility in a bid to save money, as the company was heading for bankruptcy "probably within weeks".

And despite suggestions earlier in the week that the ruling might damage inward investment into the EU, Cook was keen to assert that the company would continue investing in Ireland.

"We are completely committed to Ireland. We view the team there as world class. They do such incredible work for Apple and we're moving forward with the planned investments," he said.

The row comes a week after an investigation into alleged worker abuses at one of the company's contract manufacturers.