It is reported that Ireland is set to face censure from the EU authorities over its tax dealings with Apple.

The news agency Bloomberg says the EU is set to find that Ireland had granted illegal state aid to the iPhone maker over several years, by striking special tax deals which saw the technology giant pay an effective tax rate of less then 2% in 2013.

Both Apple and the government had denied that there were any special deals in place to limit Apple's tax bill, but European anti-trust authorities claim Ireland offered Apple a financial boost in exchange for jobs.

If the European Commission makes a finding against Apple, it could be forced to pay an arrears tax bill worth billions of euro - but Ireland would be likely to appeal the ruling to the European Court of Justice.

There is no fixed timeline on the ruling, and an appeal could involve a lengthy legal battle and take years to resolve.