You can read about the double Irish system here, man alive the US multinationals where using it to shield $1 trillion from being taxed between 2004 and 2018. Ughh scumbags.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_arrangement#Apple's_%E2%82%AC13_billion_EU_fine_(2016)
And the EU's case against Ireland over illegal state aid.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_illegal_State_aid_case_against_Apple_in_Ireland
@Stavanger, thanks for the comprehensive response. It sounds like your knowledge of the area is more than mine..
From your links, it is an extremely detailed topic. I just wonder how the US companies get away with it.
It seems that Ireland declares about 50% of all of Facebook's revenue. (the 2nd biggest advertising company in the world, next to Google).
It also seems that it is not just EU - but most non-American countries are declared in Ireland.
EU democracy in action:
Manfred Weber accused Emmanuel Macron of working with far-right leader Viktor Orban to damage democracy
EU leaders are "damaging democracy" by ignoring the results of the European parliament elections, the leader of the legislature's largest party has said.
Manfred Weber, whose centre-right group won last month's contest, said the decision by leaders to reject all the candidates for Commission president and instead pick a little-known ally of Angela Merkel in a closed meeting was "not the Europe I imagined".
It comes as a poll by ARD found that the German public do not support the appointment of Ursula von der Leyen, the leaders' pick for the top job. 56 per cent said they did not agree with the decision. Another recent poll in Der Spiegel magazine found she was the second most unpopular cabinet minister in Germany.
Hi Ceradyne
The EU commission President nominee has always been decided by the heads of state of each member country. Although Weber was the leader of the largest bloc of MEPS (the EPP) in the EU parliament he had made enough enemies in various European capitals that his nomination was blocked and so was that of the next compromise candidate Timmermans.
Once the nominee is elected they have to be approved by the MEP's in parliament, MEP's elected by the people of Europe in the European elections.
Its true that Ursula von Der Leyen is not popular in Germany, but that's not really relevant, the German people alone don't get to decide who the next EU commission President but the heads of the EU member states and the elected MEP that comes from all member states.
I'm not gonna sit here and say the EU is a perfect institution without flaws. There is democratic gaps that should be reformed. Ideally the EU commission President should be an elected MEP, which isn't the case with Ursula von Der Leyen.
But its not that far away from how other democracies function. In the UK the prime minister is usually the leader of the largest political party (not always, Churchill during WW2 for example) and has to be an elected MP. But the public does not get to vote who is the leader of the party or who becomes prime minister. Nor does the public get to vote on who becomes a cabinet minister. That's decided by the leaders and members of the political party in power, likewise in my country. The UK also has an un-elected monarchy and the members of the House of Lords are un-elected. The degree of power they have of course if quite limited (but not totally powerless) and in some cases a member of the House of Lords have served as cabinet ministers.
Also I find it interesting that the group of countries that blocked Weber and Timmersman was blocked by France and the so called Visegrad 4 (Poland, Czech Republic, Solvakia and Hungry) . One criticism of the EU is that Germany has too much power in it and that the smaller countries don't have enough. The fact the Visegrad 4 where able to block the nominations shows that smaller member states do have a say in EU affairs.
You could take the position that the EU commission president must be an MEP and must be elected by a majority of the MEP's in the EU parliament, it would be the most democratic system. But you also have to admit that the fact member states can block nominations it gives lie to the the claim that EU has too much power at the expense of member states. You could argue the other way round in this exact case.
Sharktwit the EU is not at all democratic. Who asked the various peoples of the EU if they wanted their nation states destroyed. The EU wants to be an empire with its own anthem, own flag and own Parliament and army.
It's a failing globalist tyranny.
Examples of the tyranny please or examples of how the EU is destroying the nation states in it?
Stav you are a thick twit. Read my post again.
What doesn't the dumbass not understand!
You are a genuine plank. Read my post until the penny drops.
Meanwhile Boris is heading for a landslide win as 74% of party members support him.
Other great news is that in a recent poll for national elections the Tories come out a point ahead of the Brexit party followed by Lib dems with the imploding Labour coming 4th. Hahahahahahahaha
Bori s knows not to mess around with Brexit. The brexit party has taught them a big lesson.