Apple paid 40% of its global taxes to Ireland in the last fiscal year, totaling $17.1 billion

Apple paid Ireland $17.1 billion in taxes last year, representing about 40% of its global total, according to a company document detailing the iPhone maker’s global tax obligations country by country.

Apple stated that the amount paid to Ireland was “significantly higher” than the income taxes actually owed, as it included $15.18 billion in back taxes that the European Union’s highest court ordered it to pay Ireland by 2024.

Ireland fought the EU’s back taxes law alongside Apple for eight years, seeking to defend its position as the preferred location for US multinationals in Europe and the billions of euros in direct and indirect taxes they collect each year.

In 2016, the then-head of competition at the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, accused Ireland of granting Apple illegal tax breaks, unfairly diverting investment from other countries.

Apple paid $43.2 billion in income taxes worldwide during the fiscal year ending in September 2025.