Apple and every other company, US-based or not, pays US taxes on profits of products sold here. So I'm not sure your tariff idea does anything but raise prices for you and me.
That's the idea. Raise the prices on goods made by US companies in a foreign country that are being sold back to the US. The whole point is to raise those goods to a price that is comparative to what it would cost to make in the US (or more) so that companies stop shipping our jobs overseas in the first place (or punish them if they do).
That is the only reasonable way I can see to stop outsourcing which is KILLING this country. We wouldn't be in the mess we are today if those jobs hadn't left in the first place. And if you have a good job, you can afford to pay a bit more for goods. It's better than having slightly cheaper goods and a minimum wage job at McDonalds. And if you think that these companies are passing those savings from outsourcing on to the consumer when they don't have to, you're kidding yourself. Apple's computers didn't suddenly drop in price when they moved assembly from the US to China. They kept the profits. They have no direct competitors so it was easy for them to do. Most Apple users never even noticed they were moved.
What Apple is NOT paying US taxes on now are profits made on sales outside the US. Because they are a US-based company, they would like to repatriate the profits from overseas sales, but the tax rate on these repatriated funds is 35%. That'a much higher than the marginal corporate tax rate of almost any other country. Which is why Apple keeps the profits overseas.
Like I said, if they want the money in the US, they can pay their flipping taxes. Otherwise, I think they should move to China or wherever they're making their money. Obviously, they want to bring that money back here for a reason and it sure as heck isn't to help you or me.
Actually, if you or I (US citizens) move to a foreign country to work for a while we get to exempt something like $80K per year, plus some expenses, from US tax.
That's moving. I'm talking about corporate big whigs staying here and letting cheap labor do the work overseas. They want their profits back here so they can cash in on them (they cannot pay people here with money made over there without paying that tax so they have to use other funds). I say let those people move to China if they want to cash in. If you enjoy US protection, you pay US taxes. PERIOD. Clearly, based on respones here I'm not the only on that feels that way. The less taxes corporations pay, the more you and I have to pay to make up for it. So either way we pay. At least keeping the jobs here would mean US workers have jobs and their income tax would also go to supporting this country (instead of Communist China).
Frankly, I think we should make all trade with China illegal the same way it's illegal to trade with Cuba (embargo). That would put a dent in the Chinese trade surplus and force companies to make goods here or at least in a non-Communist country.
For all those bitchin' about Apple and others taking jobs out of the country, let me explain something to you: it is not Apple's fault, it is not the governments fault, it is YOUR fault! If you want American jobs to stay in America, then buy American. Even if it is more expensive.
That's one of the dumbest things I've ever read. What American goods??? I couldn't buy American if I tried in most cases because it's GONE. I don't shop Walmart if I can help it. I shop at Union groceries and I'm paying 2x as much to get the USA made New Balance shoes (which are superior quality anyway if you look at the shoe features). Frak Communist China. We need FAIR trade, not FREE trade. That massive trade imbalance is destroying this country.
That's got to be one of the stupidest reasons for protesting that I've ever heard of. If American companies are keeping money over seas to avoid taxes, then the answer is mind numbingly simple - reduce the taxes to the point it is not advantageous to keep the profits out of the country.
Stupid??? ROTFLMAO. I got news for you, if you drop their taxes to move money back here you only give them more incentive to move jobs overseas!!! Or do you seriously believe that tax has something to do with outsourcing? It does not. Cheap labor is the reason we have outsourcing. GE didn't pay a DIME in taxes last year. That hasn't stopped them from moving jobs overseas.
The only thing lowering that tax will do is encourage them to make more money overseas and roll it bak here at little to no cost. Thus they'd enjoy the benefits of US protection, but pay none of the costs. We don't need their profits here. We need JOBS here. That wouldn't change a bit.
Quite obviously stupid taxation policies like this are one of the primary culprits for the decline in American manufacturing. No wonder America is now known as a country unfriendly to business.
Uncut nothing but short-sighted, simple-minded retards.
That's a total crock of BS. You could reduce corporate taxes to zero here and it wouldn't stop jobs from being outsourced due to cheap labor rates (see GE example above; they paid ZERO taxes here last year; they've outsourced tons of jobs to India). Your arguments have zero merit and yet you talk about others' arguments being stupid.
I guess some idiots are incapable of understanding that BUSINESSES DON'T PAY TAXES.
Consumers do.Taxes are part of the cost of the product,just as labor,development,advertising and materials.
Business taxes are just another way to tax you that seems invisible.
You are paying it just the same.
Sheesh!
Yes, you are paying it just the same. But there's one big difference with a tariff. The jobs would stay here since there would be no incentive to move jobs overseas if local goods had the final price advantage. Thus, even though goods would be higher, we'd have more US jobs. As it is now, we pay less for goods, but we end up paying the difference either in taxes or debt. There is no free lunch outsourcing so we might as well do what's right and have incentives to keep the jobs here and I don't mean getting rid of minimum wage.
