Apple’s Cook Confident of Tax Fight Victory as Irish Dither

By Dara Doyle and Peter Flanagan, Bloomberg News

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said he’s confident the iPhone maker will win a court fight against this week’s European Union decision forcing it pay Ireland vast tax arrears, as Prime Minister Enda Kenny struggled to unite his government behind an appeal.

The European Commission ruled that Apple must pay as much as 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) plus interest after Ireland illegally slashed the company’s tax bill, in a record crackdown on fiscal loopholes. The final amount payable could be as much as $19 billion, Irish officials said. ...