Apple and the EU on trial for more than $ 14 billion in taxes

Apple on Tuesday challenged a $ 14 billion tax burden imposed by the European Commission at the second highest court in the European Union, stepping up the historic tax battle between the iPhone maker and the European regulator.

In August 2016, European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, ordered Apple to repay 13 billion euros of tax to Ireland, claiming that the company had benefited from the fact that it had been taxed. "illegal" tax benefits over the past two decades. The Irish government and Apple have both appealed the order, its CEO, Tim Cook, called it "total political shit".

Representatives from Apple, Ireland and the EU appeared in the European Union court in Luxembourg Tuesday during the latest court proceedings. Apple's six-man delegation was headed by CFO Luca Maestri, according to Reuters. Last year, the EU court rejected the US authorities' request to intervene in the tax challenge.

The hearings before us are expected to last until Wednesday, but a decision will probably not be made for months. The decision will likely be appealed to the highest court of the EU, the Court of Justice.

The United States has criticized the EU decision stating that Apple should be subject to US tax law, while President Donald Trump has named Vestager Europe's "tax woman". Vestager, which has won against the US giants of technology such as Apple and Google, got a new mandate five years earlier this month.