Speculation is rife in Brussels that the European commission is strapping on its boxing gloves in preparation for another battle over corporate tax avoidance. In the red corner is Luxembourg’s finance ministry, which has spent the last year under investigation for allegedly setting up sweetheart deals for allowed McDonald’s to receive €1bn from its European operations tax-free. At the same time, Ireland is preparing to defend its treatment of Apple after being pummelled by a commission report that accused the US mobile phone maker of avoiding €13bn in corporate taxes. Dublin aims to persuade the European Court of ... (full story)