Ireland Returns to Aa2 as MNC Tax Machine Roars — But Households Still Feel the Squeeze

$17.1 billion — that's what Apple paid Ireland in taxes last year, a staggering 40% of the tech giant's entire global tax bill, driven home by the €13 billion back-tax settlement the EU's top court ordered in 2024. It's the single clearest illustration of why Moody's just handed Ireland its biggest credit upgrade in over a decade.

Money Moves

• Moody's upgrades Ireland to Aa2 — Ireland's sovereign rating jumped from Aa3 to Aa2, its highest mark since...