An Irish MEP has ripped up his property tax return in the European Parliament. Dublin Socialist Party MEP Paul Murphy posted a picture of the torn up document on twitter this morning.

Speaking this morning in the European Parliament in a debate on taxes with Minister Creighton and President Barroso, Mr. Murphy slammed the Irish government policy of using Ireland as a 'tax haven' for major corporations and ripped up his property tax form.

He was speaking in the wake of a US Senate Committee report which said iPhone maker Apple avoided paying tax by setting up companies in Ireland which paid little or no tax on sales of the company's products outside America.

The report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said Apple had agreed tax a rate of just 2% with the Irish government. That is well below the corporation tax rate of 12.5%.

"Because the figures are stark: Apple Sales International, profits of €17 billion, taxes of €8 million - that's a rate of 0.05%. Google Ireland Limited, profits of €9 billion, taxes of €22.2 million - a rate of one quarter of one percent. Facebook Ireland, profits of €1 billion, taxes of €3.2 million - a rate of one third of one percent" MEP Murphy said.

"What makes it even more galling is that at the same time as facilitating the tax avoidance of the major corporations in the world, the Irish government is engaged in a campaign of threatening to rob the property tax from working people" he continued.

It was then Mr. Murphy ripped up his property tax form, stating "This is my return for the bailout tax" - and also that he will not be registering for the tax.