Apple may be forking over $38 billion in repatriation tax payments to the U.S. government as part of an enormous investment in the American economy, but that’s not the only sizable dent that a government will make in the company After a lengthy and contentious debate that has raged on since the summer of 2016, Apple is finally settling its debt in Ireland. The Public Accounts Committee in Ireland will expect to see the collection of $16 billion in taxes from Apple beginning in March, and lasting through September.In 2016, the European Commission ruled that Apple was the beneficiary of illegal state aid in Ireland by way of so-called sweetheart tax deals with the Irish government. In essence, Apple was paying far less than the 12.5 percent corporate tax rate thanks to a deal it struck with the government back in the 1990s. This allowed Apple to record sales in Ireland other than other countries with higher tax rates, saving the company billions in tax dollars. Until now, that is.Although Apple may have hoped that its enormous tax payment in the U.S. to account for overseas cash might reduce the amount it would have to pay in Europe, this has not been the case.
“The Commission’s 2016 state aid decision found that, over many years, tax rulings issued by Ireland had allowed Apple to pay less tax on profits recorded in Ireland than other companies subject to (the) same national taxation laws,” a spokesman for the European Commission said. “This gave Apple an illegal advantage in breach of EU state aid rules, which must now be recovered by Ireland — nothing has changed in that regard.”
Apple’s sizable tax payment will apparently be held in an escrow account — which is to say, one held by a third party. This account ought to be set up by end of March. In a letter to the Public Accounts Committee, Department of Finance Secretary General Derek Moran noted, “Given the scale and the bespoke nature of the establishment of the recovery process at this stage it is not possible to provide a definite date for the completion of the collection of the alleged aid. However, identification of the escrow agent/custodian by the end of March 2018 will then allow for a payment into the escrow fund account, with payments continuing through the course of April, May, and June and up to the end of September 2018.”
I replaced my Apple Watch with a Garmin — and I don’t want to go back
The Apple Watch has been my go-to wearable for years. I began my journey with the Apple Watch Series 1 in 2017, upgraded to the Apple Watch Series 4 shortly after it launched, and then jumped to the Apple Watch Series 7 in 2021. It's long been my smartwatch platform of choice, and I've never had any desire to switch to something else.
At least, that's what I thought before I began using a Garmin smartwatch. I started testing the Garmin Forerunner 265 earlier this year, and I went into it with a pretty clear plan: I'd wear the watch for a couple of weeks, write my review, and move back to the Apple Watch. Fast forward to now, and my Garmin Forerunner 265 review has been published, no further testing is required, and nothing is stopping me from returning to my Apple Watch. But here's the thing — I don't want to. Garmin's watch is so good that I have no desire to put the Apple Watch back on my wrist, and there are a few big reasons why.
The surprising importance of buttons
A viral TikTok has made the internet rounds, showing a person who thought that they could transfer Apple gift card funds to Apple Pay. After buying a $300 Apple gift card, however, they quickly learned that that's simply not possible. While their choice might seem misguided in hindsight, there are plenty of people who have been left confused about the differences between Apple gift cards and Apple Pay.
While having a $300 Apple gift card certainly has its uses — such as buying 10 years of Apple Music, as the original poster jokingly pointed out — it's certainly not the same as having that same money to spend freely with Apple Pay. To avoid making the same mistake as this TikTok user, make sure that you understand the distinctions between the two Apple services, as it might just save you $300 (or more).
You cannot add Apple gift cards to Apple Pay
A long-awaited Apple Pay feature is finally on your iPhone
Apple announced Apple Pay Later last year when it revealed iOS 16 at WWDC 2022. The feature is finally rolling out to “randomly selected users” as of today, through a prerelease version of Apple Pay Later in the Wallet app. Those who have access to this prerelease version should have received an email to their Apple ID account, and they will need iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4.
This is a prerelease version of Apple Pay Later, and the full service will be rolling out to eligible iPhone users older than 18 in the U.S. in the “coming months.”