SAN FRANCISCO/ DUBLIN, May 23- Apple has operated almost tax-free in Ireland since 1980, welcomed by a government keen to bring jobs to what was then one of Europe's poorest country, former company executives and Irish officials have said. Apple must have seemed attractive to Ireland and to Cork.
WASHINGTON, May 22- For years, Apple Inc kept a low profile in Washington as it grew into one of the most valuable companies in the world.
*Ireland takes rare aim at multinationals' tax rates. Bruton's call for an international clampdown on aggressive tax planning by large corporates is a rare negative shot at a sector that Ireland has courted for decades and underscores the high stakes for Dublin, which faces pressure to act alone.
*Home Depot raises outlook, shares hit record intraday high. *JPMorgan shares hit highest since February 2001. NEW YORK, May 21- U.S. stocks gained on Tuesday as a record intraday high for Home Depot helped lift the blue-chip Dow, but investors were cautious a day ahead of congressional testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
WASHINGTON, May 21- Apple Inc came under fire on Tuesday at a Senate hearing over an investigation that alleged the U.S. high technology icon has kept billions of dollars in profits in Irish subsidiaries and paid little or no taxes to any government.