Hatch condemns European Commission’s fine on Apple

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) ripped the European Commission Monday over its decision to impose hefty back taxes on Apple after a private meeting with European officials visiting D.C. from Brussels. 

Hatch dug his heels in Monday after his meeting with the European Commissioner Margarethe Vestager, saying in a statement the commission had “opted to run roughshod over an American firm by retroactively overriding a tax opinion between a sovereign country and a company.”

{mosads}“Though our meetings were cordial, the Commissioner failed to build an effective case for this highly politicized ruling rooted in an erroneous interpretation of law, underscoring the need for additional action in international courts,” the Utah senator said in a statement.

Last month, the European Commission ruled that Apple to pay $14.5 billion in taxes after the Commission said it had received state aid from Ireland.

Hatch, along with the Senate Committee on Finance and officials such as Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, have criticized the actions of the executive arm of the European Union, saying the commission is unfairly targeting U.S. businesses. The European Commission is currently investigating Amazon and Google over antitrust concerns.

In addition to Hatch, Vestager also met with Lew on Monday. 

She has meetings slated with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) on Tuesday.