Moody's says too soon to judge Apple tax impact on Ireland rating

LONDON, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Rating agency Moody's said on Wednesday it was too soon to say what the impact on Ireland (Other OTC: IRLD - news) 's rating would be of the European Commission's ruling that Apple (Swiss: AAPL.SW - news) should pay 13 billion euros ($14.50 billion) in back taxes to Dublin.

"As Apple and Ireland both plan to appeal the EU's ruling, it is too early to assess the possible impact of the judgement on Ireland's credit profile," Moody's, which rates Ireland at A3 with a positive outlook, said in a statement.

"Once the outcome is clearer, Moody's assessment will take into account not just the impact of higher than expected tax revenues, but also any possible implications for Ireland's corporate tax regime."

($1 = 0.8968 euros) (Reporting by Marc Jones; editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)