Ireland Expects EU to Reach Decision in Apple Tax Probe by October

[Nunyabinez]

No, corporation tax should remain high. Apple must pay 30% tax in the country it makes the transaction, not the convoluted redirection scam, pay 30% just like it taxes it's own developers 30% tax. A straight tax on earnings to recoup lost revenue. No more socializing corporates.
I'm afraid it will happen in the greater direction, not lesser.
Yes a dog eat dog world, and the dog has a taste and a good bite for apples.
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And Apple is socializing all it's corporate operations by effectively not paying full tax. Citizens are paying for Apple Inc.

Do read before you post? Has Apple broken any laws? NO!!! Then by definition the are paying a full tax. If they didn't pay the tax they owed they would be guilty of tax evasion and would be fined and people put in jail.

Since that has not happened we can conclude that they have not committed tax evasion and therefore ARE PAYING THEIR FULL SHARE. How can you not understand this?

You might think that they should pay more, which is fine, but they are paying the full tax that is required of them. If you want to "get on" someone, get on the sh**y lawmakers who are not asking Apple to pay what you think they should pay.

 

[mossy]

There is a big difference between 'Tax avoision' and 'Tax evasion'.

Tax avoision might be morally wrong (depending on your point of view) while tax evasion is completely against the law.

 

[duervo]

There is a big difference between 'Tax avoision' and 'Tax evasion'.

Tax avoision might be morally wrong (depending on your point of view) while tax evasion is completely against the law.

"Tax avoison" and "tax evasion" are the same thing. It's just that one is in New Jersey, while the other is not.

 

[smacrumon]

Do read before you post? Has Apple broken any laws? NO!!! Then by definition the are paying a full tax. If they didn't pay the tax they owed they would be guilty of tax evasion and would be fined and people put in jail.

Since that has not happened we can conclude that they have not committed tax evasion and therefore ARE PAYING THEIR FULL SHARE. How can you not understand this?

You might think that they should pay more, which is fine, but they are paying the full tax that is required of them. If you want to "get on" someone, get on the sh**y lawmakers who are not asking Apple to pay what you think they should pay.

Nice try. If the company tax rate is 30%, then it would be expected the company, Apple, would pay 30% tax. The only reason Apple doesn't pay all this tax and just a meagre 2% is due to convoluted transactions to represent sales in countries where they did not actually occur. Individuals pay a greater tax percentage than Apple. It's scandalous.

Not all companies, small, medium and large conduct their businesses like this, some haven't gone to the lengths Apple has to pay little tax. Some are unable to. Apple has whole teams of accountants and lawyers dedicated to their tax minimization.

And the issue is when Apple pays 28% less tax than it should, tax paying citizens have to cover the shortfall. Apple is socializing its corporate debts and privatising its profits. Lawmakers around the world are moving to flat tax companies like Apple to receive the actual "fair share" of tax. It's coming.

 

[macfacts]

What laws?

One law I would like is if you want to sell a patent, you have to put it up for auction, highest bidder gets it (why wouldn't the owner want the most money for the patent?).

Right now, Apple just sells their patents for pennies to an offshore shell company. Apple uses those patents in the iPhone while paying royalties to the offshore shell company. What happens is the shell company gets rich from the royalties and Apple in USA has hardly any profits.

 

[KRBM]

Punish success how? The tax rates are really clear cut. "Make X amount, pay Y percentage of that to the government"

Should Pokemon Go, the creator of Flappy Bird, and the makers of Candy Crush, no longer pay 30% to Apple? After all that's Apple punishing their success. They worked hard so Apple should take a lower percentage.

Excellent comparison. The government uses taxes to fund human & other resources necessary for (future) companies. It's perfectly fine for the government to ask that they get some of the funds back in return, for future generations.

 

[Nunyabinez]

Nice try. If the company tax rate is 30%, then it would be expected the company, Apple, would pay 30% tax. The only reason Apple doesn't pay all this tax and just a meagre 2% is due to convoluted transactions to represent sales in countries where they did not actually occur. Individuals pay a greater tax percentage than Apple. It's scandalous.

Not all companies, small, medium and large conduct their businesses like this, some haven't gone to the lengths Apple has to pay little tax. Some are unable to. Apple has whole teams of accountants and lawyers dedicated to their tax minimization.

And the issue is when Apple pays 28% less tax than it should, tax paying citizens have to cover the shortfall. Apple is socializing its corporate debts and privatising its profits. Lawmakers around the world are moving to flat tax companies like Apple to receive the actual "fair share" of tax. It's coming.

So what is your point then? Apple should pay more tax NOW then they are required to because in the future the laws may change? Not gonna happen.

If they are so bad, stop supporting them and go post on a website for a company that you like. I am done with this.

 

[Phoenixx]

Largest taxpayer in the world. Pretty wild to think about that one.

But, if they actually ARE the largest tax payer in the world, and they are avoiding paying taxes as well, doesn't that probably make them the biggest company avoiding paying taxes in the world too?

Doesn't this reveal something about the mentality of the company?
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1) The Law is ambiguous in every facet of its existence as a result of the very flexibility of language itself,
2) That ambiguity is exploited whenever possible to the advantage of those who wish to pursue an action in their own favour
3) Exploiting ambiguity is not illegal, but is morally suspect

Limiting ambiguity in legal documents is a craft in itself, and texts are frequently revised. We should not judge the EU for trying to make Apple pay taxes it attempted to make as clear as language permits should be payable; equally, we are justified in viewing with some scorn any company that claims to be paying all the tax it is liable for under the Law.

Tim Cook's apparent comment (which I have not personally read), btw, that Apple abides by the spirit of the law is an empty statement, refecting an awareness that following the letter of the law is impossible, owing to the subjective nature of interpretation. Warren Buffet's (whom I have never heard of, btw, so have no opinion on the individual personally) comment is equally self-serving and legalistic, reflecting an awareness that no law can be so drafted as to be entirely without ambiguity: "has to" implies an unambiguity that will never exist. It's all sophistry.

Cook has lied about so many things that any statement made by him should be viewed with suspicion. Why the public actually believe ANYTHING Apple executives say these days is beyond belief. Apple is effectively TWO companies; the one portrayed by their marketing and PR department, and the real Apple that is behind it. The real Apple are an exceptionally nasty company, far worse than rivals such as Microsoft or Google. Every now and then, the public get a glimpse of what Apple are really like; an unethical, deceptive company, driven by incredible greed and arrogance. It's a shame, because they weren't this way until relatively recently.

 

[ksnell]

But, if they actually ARE the largest tax payer in the world, and they are avoiding paying taxes as well, doesn't that probably make them the biggest company avoiding paying taxes in the world too?

Doesn't this reveal something about the mentality of the company?
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Cook has lied about so many things that any statement made by him should be viewed with suspicion. Why the public actually believe ANYTHING Apple executives say these days is beyond belief. Apple is effectively TWO companies; the one portrayed by their marketing and PR department, and the real Apple that is behind it. The real Apple are an exceptionally nasty company, far worse than rivals such as Microsoft or Google. Every now and then, the public get a glimpse of what Apple are really like; an unethical, deceptive company, driven by incredible greed and arrogance. It's a shame, because they weren't this way until relatively recently.

Reveals something about the mentality of every company and person in the world. No one wants to pay more tax than they have to.