A key ally of US Presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton says Apple should face "consequences" in America over its tax affairs in Ireland.
Martin O'Malley, the former Governor of Maryland (and a former Democratic nominee hopeful himself), told Newstalk that the United States needed to ensure that multinationals who "try to play games and not do their duties" are properly dealt with.
He stated a balance was required to get such US companies to "pay their fair share without becoming laws and entities unto themselves that avoid paying taxes anywhere." This would mean a change to US tax policy to prevent the use of "accounting tricks", he argued.
"Look," O'Malley told Newstalk's Richard Chambers, "corporations and jobs are important but none of us are so valuable to the human enterprise on this planet that we should be able to play shell games and avoid paying our fair share."
When asked whether he considered Ireland to be a tax haven, O'Malley said that was "a question for the Irish to resolve."
He recalled his time in office in Maryland and said there had been some states that wanted to "race to the bottom, have the lowest possible taxes". They also, he said, "found themselves having the worst schools, the most unprepared workforce".
O'Malley was in Dublin's Central Hotel last night to galvanise members of Democrats Abroad to the Clinton cause.
The Irish-American himself endorsed her campaign in June and his support is considered invaluable by her team.
He also took the time to label Republican candidate Donald Trump as not only a "racist" and a "fascist", but also a "mangy dog".
