Chamber official: EU ‘targeting’ US companies

Days after the European Union ruled that Apple owed Ireland billions of dollars in back taxes, a senior official at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce accused the group of going after American multinational companies.

{mosads}“What the EU has done with respect to Apple is extraordinary,” Chief Economist J.D. Foster said Thursday per a briefing from the Chamber. “They are clearly targeting U.S. companies, though they also target European companies.”

On Tuesday, the European Union’s executive body, the European Commission, decided to impose a $14.5 billion tax bill on Apple after the company received what the commission deemed as unfair state aid from Ireland.

Foster echoed other critics of the decision, citing potential sovereignty concerns.

“This is a very serious issue, it’s not just about Apple. This is about precedent, this is about sovereignty of national tax returns,” he said.

The Chamber had previously condemned the European Commission’s ruling, even saying in a statement released earlier this week that it “feeds perception that the Commission is unfairly targeting U.S. businesses in its State Aid investigations.” The Chamber, however, stopped short of accusing the commission of actually targeting U.S. companies.

Foster joins several Washington leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who have accused the commission of unfair treatment of American companies.

Other U.S. firms that have been the subject of recent rulings or that are currently being investigated by the commission include McDonald’s, Amazon and Google.

Sarah Ferris contributed