Ireland’s government stands fully behind its corporate tax regime, Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe said on Friday, ahead of an independent review it commissioned into how multinationals pay their tax.

The Irish government has decided to appeal a demand by the European Commission that Apple pay Dublin 13 billion euros in back taxes, although independent members of the coalition called for the review.

“This government stands fully behind our corporate tax regime. It is absolutely essential that this system and this rate be maintained,” Donohoe, a member of the main Irish coalition party, Fine Gael, told a news conference.

Article Source: Business World