Apple's response to EU tax ruling draws criticism from Eurozone finance boss

Eurogroup president Jeroen Dijsselbloem said that Apple was out of touch with the public outcry surrounding the decision.

Apple were told to repay the sum to the Irish state following an investigation by the EU Commission into its tax practices in the country, a decision which is set to be appealed by both the company and Ireland.

CEO Tim Cook referred to the ruling as "political crap" amid a flurry of protestations about the result of the investigation.

"The Apple response shows that they don’t grasp what’s going on in society and they do not grasp what’s going on in the public debate," said Dijsselbloem at the Ambrosetti forum of business leaders in Italy.

"This is a very strong moral issue and large companies, even if they’re this large, can’t say 'this is not about us, there’s no problem here.'"

While the money is a drop in the ocean in comparison with Apple's fortune, much of the public in Ireland is in uproar at the refusal of the Irish government to accept the money, which is equivalent to its annual healthcare budget.

"American companies or any company that uses all these different tax plans and at the end of the day pays no tax, that’s not fair," Dijsselbloem added.