DUBLIN (Reuters) - Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan said on Friday that a European Commission case against Ireland over tax breaks given to Apple Inc is likely to fail.
The European Commission said in June it was making in-depth inquiries into tax arrangements reached by Ireland with Apple to see whether they represented unfair state aid.
"My legal advice is that the Irish authorities will win the case quite easily and that there isn't a very strong case by the Commission," Noonan told journalists after a meeting in Brussels. His comments were broadcast on RTE.
"It's more likely that investigation will be dropped rather than there being further investigations," he said.
A U.S. Senate committee investigation revealed last year that Apple had cut billions from its tax bill by declaring companies registered in the Irish city of Cork as not tax resident in any country.
Apple has denied receiving any selective tax treatment from the Irish authorities.
(Reporting by Conor Humphries; editing by Jane Baird)