A US Senate inquiry into Apple's use of tax havens has revealed products sold in Australia are handled by a number of offshore subsidiaries, bolstering Apple's offshore profits.

Documents filed by US congressional investigators overnight claim Apple products manufactured in China are resold to Apple retailers in Australia after an Irish subsidiary takes ownership of the products mid-transit – but only on paper.

Apple uses a network of subsidiaries to shuffle profits around the world.

The Irish subsidiary, known as Apple Sales International [ASI], resells the product to Apple retailers in Australia at a substantial profit, despite never actually possessing the product.

"ASI never took physical session of the products it ordered from the third party manufacturer," the congressional report.