<p>The European Union's imposition of a 13 billion euro ($14.5 billion) back tax bill on Apple (AAPL.O) is "total political crap", Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a newspaper interview on Thursday, and anti-U.S. bias may have played a role.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Cook said he would fight closely with Ireland to overturn the ruling, which he said had "no basis in law or in fact".<br /><br />"No one did anything wrong here and we need to stand together. Ireland is being picked on and this is unacceptable," Cook was quoted as saying by the Irish Independent.<br /><br />Cook told the newspaper that bias against multinationals from the United States may have been a factor in the decision to impose the bill.<br /><br />"I think that Apple was targeted here," he said. "And I think that (anti-U.S. sentiment) is one reason why we could have been targeted."<br /><br />"I think it's a desire to reallocate taxes that should be paid in the US to the EU," he added.<br /><br />Cook rejected accusation by EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager that Apple paid just 0.005 percent tax in Ireland in 2014.<br /><br />"They just picked a number from I don't know where," he said, adding that Apple pays 26 percent per year on its global profits.<br /><br />Cook said Apple was committed to expanding its operations in Ireland despite the ruling.<br /><br />"I feel like Ireland stuck with Apple when it wasn't easy to stick with Apple and now we're sticking with Ireland," he said.<br /><br />In a separate interview on Thursday with Irish state broadcaster RTE, Cook said the EU decision was "maddening" and that he was very confident his appeal would succeed.</p>
<p>The European Union's imposition of a 13 billion euro ($14.5 billion) back tax bill on Apple (AAPL.O) is "total political crap", Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a newspaper interview on Thursday, and anti-U.S. bias may have played a role.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Cook said he would fight closely with Ireland to overturn the ruling, which he said had "no basis in law or in fact".<br /><br />"No one did anything wrong here and we need to stand together. Ireland is being picked on and this is unacceptable," Cook was quoted as saying by the Irish Independent.<br /><br />Cook told the newspaper that bias against multinationals from the United States may have been a factor in the decision to impose the bill.<br /><br />"I think that Apple was targeted here," he said. "And I think that (anti-U.S. sentiment) is one reason why we could have been targeted."<br /><br />"I think it's a desire to reallocate taxes that should be paid in the US to the EU," he added.<br /><br />Cook rejected accusation by EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager that Apple paid just 0.005 percent tax in Ireland in 2014.<br /><br />"They just picked a number from I don't know where," he said, adding that Apple pays 26 percent per year on its global profits.<br /><br />Cook said Apple was committed to expanding its operations in Ireland despite the ruling.<br /><br />"I feel like Ireland stuck with Apple when it wasn't easy to stick with Apple and now we're sticking with Ireland," he said.<br /><br />In a separate interview on Thursday with Irish state broadcaster RTE, Cook said the EU decision was "maddening" and that he was very confident his appeal would succeed.</p>