(MENAFN) The European Union launched an investigation to determine whether the special deals offered to Apple and Starbucks by authorities in Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands amount to illegal state aid, The Peninsula Qatar reported.
"In the current context of tight public budgets, it is particularly important that large multinationals pay their fair share of taxes," EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said.
Apple and Starbucks, including other multinational companies including Amazon and Google, have come under intense pressure from politicians and campaigners over their tax affairs.
The multinationals are accused of enjoying soft tax deals that allow them to move billions in earnings from higher-taxed countries to lower taxed ones.
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