Apple CEO Tim Cook Upset about EU Tax Bill(翻译)

After a two-year investigation, the European Union (EU) says the American company Apple must pay over $14 billion in back taxes to Ireland.
经过为期两年的调查，欧盟称美国苹果公司必须向爱尔兰补缴超过140亿美元的税款。

The EU's competition commissioner said the company did not pay enough in taxes between 2003 and 2014. She questioned how anyone might think that Apple's 2014 Irish tax rate of five thousandths of one percent was fair.
欧盟竞争事务专员表示，该公司在2003年到2014年期间并未足额缴税。她质疑有谁会认为苹果公司2014年在爱尔兰0.005%的税率是公平的。

The European Commission is responsible for making official decisions for the European Union. The Commission follows rules designed to make sure businesses in Europe compete fairly.
欧盟委员会负责为欧盟做出正式裁决。该委员会遵循旨在确保各企业在欧洲公平竞争的原则。

In late August, the Commission announced that it would attempt to recover the back taxes from Apple. It said the company reported earnings for all of the computers, computer tablets and mobile phones it sold in Europe through its office in Ireland. Because of a tax deal with the Irish government, Apple never had to pay much tax on its earnings.
八月下旬，该委员会宣布它试图向苹果公司追缴税款。该委员会称苹果公司在欧洲销售的所有电脑、平板电脑和手机都通过该公司驻爱尔兰办事处报告收益。因为同爱尔兰政府的税收协议，苹果公司对其收益从来没有缴过多少税款。

The Competition Commission is not only investigating Apple. It is looking at deals between European countries and major international businesses including Starbucks, Fiat, Amazon and McDonald's.
欧盟竞争委员会不仅在调查苹果，它还在审查欧洲国家同重要国际企业之间的协议，这些企业包括星巴克、菲亚特、亚马逊和麦当劳等。

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook denies the EU allegations. He said Apple paid $400 million in taxes in 2014, and his company paid more in taxes than any other business in Ireland.
苹果首席执行官蒂姆·库克（Tim Cook）否认欧盟的指控。他称苹果2014年缴纳了4亿美元税款，他的公司比爱尔兰任何公司缴纳的税款都要多。

The tax bill is not only causing concerns in Ireland and Europe. Government officials in the United States are also worried.
该税单不仅导致了爱尔兰和欧盟的担忧。美国政府官员也在担忧。

Josh Earnest is the spokesman for President Barack Obama. He said Americans could be hurt by the EU's ruling if Apple is required to make the payment. He said the company then could legally reduce the billions of dollars it pays Ireland from the U.S. taxes it owes.
乔希·欧内斯特（Josh Earnest）是奥巴马总统发言人。他说，如果苹果公司被要求缴纳这笔税款，美国人会受到欧盟裁决的伤害。他说，该公司随后会合法地从应向美国缴纳的税款中扣除向爱尔兰缴纳的数十亿美元。

Earnest said the Obama administration is concerned EU officials decided to rule against Apple without first talking to the U.S. government.
欧内斯特表示，奥巴马政府对欧盟官员在未与美国政府沟通的情况下决定做出对苹果公司不利的裁决表示担忧。

The U.S Treasury Department called the EU's decision unfair. It claimed the EU was targeting American companies for punishment recently. The commission denied that allegation.
美国财政部称欧盟的决定是不公平的。它称欧盟最近针对美国公司进行处罚。欧盟委员会否认这一指控。

On September 1, Tim Cook told an Irish newspaper that Apple would work with Irish officials to overturn Europe's decision. He also said the tax ruling was politically motivated.
9月1日，库克对一份爱尔兰报纸表示，苹果公司将和爱尔兰官员合作推翻欧盟的决定。他还表示，这一税务裁决是出于政治动机。

The European Commission said Ireland offered Apple the low tax rates in order to save thousands of Apple jobs within the country. It called the deal, "illegal."
欧盟委员会表示，爱尔兰向苹果公司提供低税率以挽救国内数千个苹果公司就业岗位。它称该协议是非法的。

Ireland's Minister of Finance, Michael Noonan, said his country will appeal the commission's ruling. But if the tax is paid, it would be the largest ever in Europe.
爱尔兰财政部长迈克尔·努南（Michael Noonan）表示，该国将对该委员会的裁决提起上诉。但是如果该税款被缴纳，这将是欧洲有史以来最大的一笔税款。