'It's political crap!' Apple chief Tim Cook says EU ruling on multi-billion tax bill is 'maddening' as his company always 'does the right thing'

Apple boss Tim Cook (pictured) has launched a blistering attack on the EU's decision to smack a £11billion bill for unpaid taxes in Ireland, labeling the ruling 'political crap'

Apple boss Tim Cook has launched a blistering attack on the EU's decision to smack a £11billion bill for unpaid taxes in Ireland, labeling the ruling 'political crap'. 

He said the ruling was 'maddening and disappointing' and said it had 'no basis in fact or in law'.  

Mr Cook dismissed the audit by the Brussels watchdog that found Apple only paid 0.005 per cent tax in 2014, and claimed the global tech brand paid a worldwide rate of 26.1 per cent on its earnings that year.

He vowed to fight the landmark ruling - the biggest tax bill imposed on a firm outside the US.  

'When you are accused of something that is so foreign to your values, it brings out an outrage in you. That's how we feel,' he said.

'Apple has always been about doing the right thing, never the easy thing.' 

The extraordinary outburst is the latest development in the continuing fallout between the US tech giant and the EU.  

Yesterday British MPs also expressed outrage at the EU's move but said it presented the UK with a golden opportunity to attract US tech firms such as Apple to invest in Britain after Brexit. 

And the oustpoken boss of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, urged the Irish government, which sided with Apple to fight the ruling, to tell the EU to 'f*** off!'

He dubbed it 'bizarre' and advised the Irish government, which opposed the ruling, to defy the EU, insisting each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions. 

Big bill: Apple, which has a base in Cork, pictured, must repay £11billion ($14.5bn) in unpaid tax because the EU says its sweetheart tax deal with Ireland amounted to state aid

Expressing his anger over Tuesday's controversial ruling, Mr Cook told Ireland's state broadcaster RTE that the European Commission was over-reaching and attempting to retroactively target Apple and Irish laws with a political ruling.

'It's maddening. It's maddening and disappointing,' the Apple chief executive said. 'It's clear that this comes from a political place. It has no basis in fact or in law.'

Mr Cook said the numbers had been set out in the company's quarterly accounts and that Apple paid 400 million US dollars corporation tax in Ireland in 2014, another 400 million US dollars of similarly classed tax in the US and set aside billions more for tax bills in America that year. 

Mr Cook spoke as Independent members of Ireland's fragile minority Government seek legal explanations of the 130-page ruling from Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and whether they should support Finance Minister Michael Noonan's call for an immediate legal challenge.

The watchdog's landmark ruling into the iPad and iPhone maker's tax affairs found it paid just 1 per cent tax on its European profits in 2003 and 0.005 per cent in 2014 after getting assurances from tax inspectors about its tax affairs and how it routed sales figures through subsidiaries in Ireland and on to the US.

The cabinet met on Wednesday but failed to reach agreement and will meet again on Friday as it puzzles over whether to accept the unprecedented windfall ordered by Brussels.

There have been calls for the Dail parliament in Dublin to be recalled to debate the issue with left-leaning groups insisting the billions should go towards public services.

Controversy has raged across the country on whether to pursue the unpaid tax and risk the wrath of multinationals, which the Irish economy depends heavily upon, or to fight the EU finding.

The oustpoken boss of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary (pictured), urged the Irish government, which sided with Apple to fight the ruling, to tell the EU to 'f*** off!'

Despite the mammoth tax bill, Apple insists it will not abandon Ireland, where it has about 6,000 employees and is planning to build a huge data centre.

Mr Cook said that in 2014 his company paid one of every 15 US dollars of corporation tax in Ireland.

'I think the right thing here is to stand up and fight against this over-reach,' he said.

'Clearly the sovereignty of the country is at stake and the rule of law and sovereignty of law are at stake.'

He added: 'I think both parties feel like the decision is wrong, is not based on law or facts. It's based on politics. I think we should stand up and say that very clearly.'

In a separate interview with the Irish Independent, Mr Cook branded Ms Vestager's ruling 'political crap'.

'Our commitment to Ireland is unwavering. We are not going to let an invalid ruling, a politically based ruling, affect our deep commitment to Ireland.'