EU: No lobbying in Brussels for Apple

Apple Inc. is battling the European Commission’s call to fork over $14.5 billion in back taxes without the army of lobbyists and public relations campaigners typical in such fights.

The iPhone maker spent less than €900,000 in 2015 to lobby the EU institutions and doesn’t employ any full-time lobbyists here; merely five part-time workers, according to public filings. In contrast, Alphabet Inc.’s Google spent at least €4.25 million last year and employs more than 10 people.

Other U.S. technology companies, including Alphabet, Amazon.com Inc. and QualcommInc., also are trying to convince the EC that their tax regimens or pricing policies aren’t breaching its rules.

The EU recently surpassed the U.S. in terms of the number of registered organizations lobbying its institutions, according to Transparency International. As of Sept. 7, the EU registered 9,756 organizations, compared with 9,726 in the U.S.

Full Content: The Wall Street Journal

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