Apple will pay France $571 million in back taxes

Apple has agreed to pay French authorities around $571 million in back taxes, according to new reports.

Apple today confirmed the deal but did not disclose the sum itself. The agreement comes after a multi-year audit into Apple’s accounts by the French tax administration.

France has been cracking down on international companies like Apple, which are accused of exploiting local loopholes in an effort to minimize their tax bills at the expense of European companies.

After an audit into Apple’s French accounts was carried out, the company has agree to cough up for tax it previously did not settle.

Apple will pay more than half a billion

“As a multinational company, Apple is regularly audited by the fiscal authorities around the world,” reads a statement issued to Reuters by Apple France today.

“The French tax administration recently concluded a multi-year audit on the company’s French accounts, and those details will be published in our public accounts.”

Apple did not confirm the sum it had agreed to pay back to France, but according to multiple reports from the French media, it is believed to be around €500 million (approx. $571 million).

Apple’s controversial tax tactics

Apple often comes under fire for not paying nearly as much tax as it should in many countries — particularly those in Europe — earning it plenty of attention from tax activist groups.

In France, Apple has been accused of wide-scale tax evasion by the “Attac” group, which it sued in February of last year in an effort to prevent protests in its retail stores. However, the High Court denied Apple’s request for an injunction.

In 2016, Apple was handed an enourmous €13 billion (approx. $15.5 billion) tax bill by the European Union for allegedly taking advantage of illegal state aid that allowed it to route profits through Ireland.

Following an investigation, it was claimed that Apple paid as little as 0.005 percent on all European profits in 2014.