Apple Under Investigation for $1.3 Billion Italian Tax Fraud

Like this will stop Apple of anything.

Apple should just buy Italy straight out in cash and be done with it ...

Sure, Apple has cash, let's tackle Apple.

Breckenridge said:

Sure, Apple has cash, let's tackle Apple.

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It does sound a bit like a shakedown. Italy is known for corruption.

I find it pretty rich the Italian authorities speaking about curroption and fraud considering who they have answered to over the past decade or so and fail to adequately prosecute dispite the evidence.

This truly is a case of Italy is strapped for cash so lets have a go at a conpany for some money. I hope Apple is holding out on them and threatens to take its stores out of Italy. Its only a small country and wont be missed business wise.

Nevaborn said:

I find it pretty rich the Italian authorities speaking about curroption and fraud considering who they have answered to over the past decade or so and fail to adequately prosecute dispite the evidence.

This truly is a case of Itsly is strapped for cash so lets have a go at a conpany for some money. I hope Apple is holding out on them and threatens to take its stores out of Italy. Its only a small country and wont be missed business wise.

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Or, y'know, the investigation actually turns up solid evidence of tax avoidance.

Would like to see some facts

if Apple is illegally avoiding taxes, by all means, go after them for the owed money and penalties.

However, just because they may not be paying as much as you would like them to be, does not, in and of itself, constitute fraud or avoidance.

We shall see where this lands. I feel it will go no where, and just waste more Italian tax payer dollars and turn up nothing, but we shall see.

Some American users responses to this make me chuckle wholeheartedly

Glad to know you're ok with multinational corporations like Amazon and Apple avoiding (even in perfectly legal ways) to pay billions in taxes both in the US and Europe every year While regular US and EU citizens pay taxes to the last cent.

Yeah a shakedown...because we're talking about companies who NEVER practiced any kind of tax avoidance and do their best to contribute with taxes to the countries where their businesses take place....right.

Nothing wrong in LOOKING INTO the matter. Apple doesn't lack lawyers to defend itself.

KPOM said:

It does sound a bit like a shakedown. Italy is known for corruption.

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When your country is going bankrupt you will do anything to pay the bills.

With global markets, companies will be paying taxes to support Europe, while continuing to neglect Americans (who have low taxes) and emerging countries (who can't even get in on the game). All the while the product prices will go up. In the end, the citizens of the countries with the lowest taxes (and lowest benefits) will be subsidizing the citizens of countries with the hight taxes (and highest benefits) via the global markets.

giggles said:

Some American users responses to this make me chuckle wholeheartedly

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Chuckle all you want. I am of Italian descent and my mother was born in Italy. Because of Italy's poor financial status it made it very difficult for my mother to get inheritance money out of the country. The government wanted to essentially steal her entire inheritance unless she moved back to Italy and spent it there. Your blind nationalism makes me chuckle.

BC2009 said:

When your country is going bankrupt you will do anything to pay the bills.

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But they're part of a bigger country: The EU. And they don't have to pay their bills, another part of the EU will: The Germans. All they lose is their sovereignty.

But they gain more by being part of the EU.

starbird said:

I feel it will go no where, and just waste more Italian tax payer dollars and turn up nothing, but we shall see.

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You mean Euro's

I agree - another attempt for someone to make a name for themselves in Govt', and it'll fail.

BC2009 said:

Chuckle all you want. I am of Italian descent and my mother was born in Italy. Because of Italy's poor financial status it made it very difficult for my mother to get inheritance money out of the country. The government wanted to essentially steal her entire inheritance unless she moved back to Italy and spent it there. Your blind nationalism makes me chuckle.

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That's basically, like, your side of the story, bro. Lacking any kind of context.

Of course inheritance is taxed, hardly "entirely stealed".

Being accused of a crime does not mean you actually committed the crime. There are many reasons to drag an clean person or company through the courts. The most often reason is money. And I think this is the case now. If Apple was a little fish no one would care. But Italy and the rest of the world see Apple as a cash cow ripe for the milking.

Italy (and others) should be ashamed of themselves. But that will never happen as you have to have a sense of ethics (and know right from wrong) to ever feel shame. And the sad things is the courts of the world are siding with these money hungry people/countries. You can't get justice from a corrupt legal system. And when you are as big as Apple is, you can't stay out of the courts.

Others drag Apple into court in attempt to milk the cash cow and the courts allow it. So Apple is in a lose-lose situation. Can't stop people trying to sue Apple. Can't get a fair and just response from the legal system. So what is the answer? Pay them out. Give them as small an amount of money as they will accept to stay out of the courts. But why appease others when Apple has done nothing wrong? Because losing in court (can't be prevented even if innocent) is more costly than paying the others out.

Quercus Alba said:

Or, y'know, the investigation actually turns up solid evidence of tax avoidance.

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Hey if they break the law they should pay the price. Not like they cant afford it but this is becoming a trend with Apple being targeted for a quick buck.

giggles said:

Some American users responses to this make me chuckle wholeheartedly

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He who laughs last...

And don't build you house on sand....

rshoff said:

But they're part of a bigger country: The EU. And they don't have to pay their bills, another part of the EU will: The Germans. All they lose is their sovereignty.

But they gain more by being part of the EU.

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Ha ha, I seriously hope you are joking...

Apple makes billions upon billions, why would they even bother trying to cheat for $1.3B? It literally makes no sense. They are extremely thorough. This is Italy trying to muscle 'em for some cheddar.

Nevaborn said:

Hey if they break the law they should pay the price. Not like they cant afford it but this is becoming a trend with Apple being targeted for a quick buck.

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It's becoming a trend for EU member countries to sue American companies for enormous sums of money to make a quick buck. Including MS. American tech companies are funding the socialists!

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Stampyhead said:

Ha ha, I seriously hope you are joking...

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seriously, I jest.

rshoff said:

He who laughs last...

And don't build you house on sand....

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What are we talking about again? Oh yeah, that pesky thing called respecting the law and making the rich/corporations pay taxes where they're due.

giggles said:

Some American users responses to this make me chuckle wholeheartedly

Glad to know you're ok with multinational corporations like Amazon and Apple avoiding (even in perfectly legal ways) to pay billions in taxes both in the US and Europe every year While regular US and EU citizens pay taxes to the last cent.

Yeah a shakedown...because we're talking about companies who NEVER practiced any kind of tax avoidance and do their best to contribute with taxes to the countries where their businesses take place....right.

Nothing wrong in LOOKING INTO the matter. Apple doesn't lack lawyers to defend itself.

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You are right 100%. Nothing wrong with looking into it. And I am all for a big to small approach, though some may say it is focusing on companies with money, what ever.

However, if a company, any company, is LEGALLY paying the taxes in a given state, country, what have you, that the state, country, what have you set up? Then the witch hunts need to stop and the governments should spend their time changing the laws they set up if they feel they are unfair.

rmwebs said:

You mean Euro's

I agree - another attempt for someone to make a name for themselves in Govt', and it'll fail.

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HA! Thanks for the correction!

giggles said:

Some American users responses to this make me chuckle wholeheartedly

Glad to know you're ok with multinational corporations like Amazon and Apple avoiding (even in perfectly legal ways) to pay billions in taxes both in the US and Europe every year While regular US and EU citizens pay taxes to the last cent.

Yeah a shakedown...because we're talking about companies who NEVER practiced any kind of tax avoidance and do their best to contribute with taxes to the countries where their businesses take place....right.

Nothing wrong in LOOKING INTO the matter. Apple doesn't lack lawyers to defend itself.

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Because Amazon and Apple don't employe any US Citizens, right?
All those citizens that work for Apple/Amazon pay their taxes. Without Apple they wouldn't even be employed. Be happy they haven't sent all their engineers off-shore. There are plenty of more talented people and engineers world-wide. So, yeah, let's tax Apple so much that it doesn't have a reason to innovate, stay in America and create jobs.
Also, don't forget that Apple pays $1 in $40 of all corporate income tax. Yeah, hinder them for being successful..

Regular citizens do not pay taxes to the last cent. There are small business owners who don't pay a dime, super markets with cash only, gas stations and a variety of other places. There are an unbelievable amount of people drawing disability benefits who aren't disabled, food stamps, etc. It is the middle/upper class who pays their fair share of taxes. Those middle/upper class typically work for multinational corporations like Amazon/Apple or the government. They have ways to write off taxes too. Do some research.

giggles said:

What are we talking about again? Oh yeah, that pesky thing called respecting the law and make the rich/corporations pay taxes where they're due.

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We are seeing a world where the corporations are becoming larger than the governments. One company can span many countries. Whose laws are they beholden to? Why should they give the Italians money and ignore the Mexicans? It becomes extortion at some point.