[Quest:] The Irish cabinet is to meet again on Friday to decide whether to appeal against the EU's ruling on Apple's tax bill. Whatever happens, Apple says it is committed to its headquarters in the city of Cork, from where CNN's Phil Black sent this dispatch.
[Phil Black, Cnn Correspondent:] Sprawling, shiny, and still growing. This is Apple's Cork campus. A hub for almost 5,000 jobs, stretching between one of the city's more deprived neighborhoods and some of Ireland's famous green pastures beyond. Our camera was invited in to see what Apple was built here and what's still to come. A new wing will soon rise above this earth, accommodating another 1,000 workers. We were allowed to see the grounds. We were not allowed to talk to anyone about the EU's order for Apple to pay EUR 13 billion in taxes, said to have been avoided through a deal with the Irish government. But this tour carries a not very subtle message, like the image of its founder, Steve Jobs, visiting the company's original operation on this site more than 35 years ago. Apple's message, all of this has nothing to do with tax dodging, rather it's proof that Apple is committed to Ireland, that it's been here for decades, investing, changing people's lives. Here in Cork, it is very hard to find people who disagree with that. On the streets of the city, there is an overwhelming sense of defiance. Many here believe the EU has overstepped, and they credit Apple with first transforming Cork, and later helping the city recover from the dark days of the 2008 financial crisis. Pat O'Connell has been selling fish here since the '60s. He says many of his customers work for Apple.
[Pat O-connell, Fish Merchant In Cork, Ireland:] It's a phenomenal investment. It is now a huge part of Cork. Without Apple through this recession, I don't think Cork would have survived as well as it did. We had two things which saved us, one was Apple, the other was our pharmaceutical industry. Both very much foreign direct investment.
[Black:] Lord Mayor Des Cahill tells me Apple's investment encouraged other multinationals to invest in the region.
[Des Cahill, Lord Mayor, Cork, Ireland:] We have a lot of the top brands here, Apple, Pfizer, we have a lot of the top brands here, certainly led by Apple back in 1980, when Ford and Dunlop shut down.
[Black:] You can't escape the view here that Ireland should fight the EU and not take Apple's billions, because the tech giant already contributes through creating wealth and jobs. But it's not a unanimous view. One of Ireland's key opposition parties, Sinn Fein, says the EU ruling should not be appealed. Instead, Sinn Fein says Ireland should take the money and put it to good use.
[Donnchadh O Laoghaire, Sinn Fein Irish Parliament Member:] There's no question that we can continue to be a place that companies such as Apple invest in and have healthy taxation base and invest in services.
[Black:] It is likely the EU ruling is just one step in a long legal process as Ireland and Apple send their lawyers to court. They both deny doing anything wrong and both fear the ultimate consequence will be reduced foreign investment in a country whose economy now depends on it. Phil Black, CNN, Cork, Ireland.
[Quest:] Profitable Moment, next.