EU takes Ireland to EU court over 13 billion euro Apple tax bill

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Wednesday it was taking Ireland to the European Court of Justice for its failure to recover up to 13 billion euros ($15.3 billion) of tax due from Apple Inc.

The Commission ordered the U.S. tech giant in August 2016 to pay the unpaid taxes as it ruled the firm had received illegal state aid, one of a number of deals the EU has targeted between multinationals and usually smaller EU states.

"More than one year after the Commission adopted this decision, Ireland has still not recovered the money, also not in part," EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

"We of course understand that recovery in certain cases may be more complex than in others, and we are always ready to assist. But member states need to make sufficient progress to restore competition," she added.

The Commission said the deadline for Ireland to implement its decision had been Jan. 3 this year and that, until the aid was recovered, the company continued to benefit from an illegal advantage.

($1 = 0.8507 euros)

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Alastair Macdonald)