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Tim Cook Calls Apple's Irish Tax Avoidance Accusations 'Total Political Crap'
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Tax minimization is not illegal. Many companies use it. Many wealthy people use it. The middle class have every right to feeling they are being screwed BUT it is legal.
Tax reform to close the loopholes is what's needed.
However, if Apple says they paid all the taxes they owed, this is most likely 100% true.
The EU had better have very deep pockets. If I was Tim, I'd be suing them back for damages to brand name. Laws work both ways. Perhaps the EU will give Apple Greece or Spain as compensation...
Tax reform to close the loopholes is what's needed.
However, if Apple says they paid all the taxes they owed, this is most likely 100% true.
The EU had better have very deep pockets. If I was Tim, I'd be suing them back for damages to brand name. Laws work both ways. Perhaps the EU will give Apple Greece or Spain as compensation...
Not really. You can't simply move money from one corporation to another and then back again to avoid taxes. Same logic as the U.S. taxing any funds to the U.S.
Exactly. For their evidence, Brussels points to correspondence between Irish tax officials and Apple executives to claim that Apple enjoyed favors not available to other companies, which would be tantamount to a subsidy. But all Apple received from Dublin, in 1991 and 2007, were letters confirming how the tax authorities would treat various transactions under the Irish laws that applied to everyone. If anyone in Brussels knew more about tax law, they’d realize such letters are common practice around the world.
The EU is investigating every company having special agreements with Ireland, which other companies for illegal reasons (according to the EU) didn't receive or have been offered. Apple is one of them and Apple is actually not fined, it was asked to pay the remaining relative amount that other companies also had to pay in taxes.
But we also know that not all the money should actually be credited to Ireland though, but this again would start the wellknown Apple tax avoidance discussion....
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Speaking of political crap, Cook, how about focusing on product development, especially your long neglected computers, instead of keeping in the public eye with your advocacy nonsense?
You are turning off as many people as you are attracting, if not more.
Apple is a company, not a social movement.
Can't wait for this asshat to leave.
You are turning off as many people as you are attracting, if not more.
Apple is a company, not a social movement.
Can't wait for this asshat to leave.
Tax minimization is not illegal. Many companies use it. Many wealthy people use it. The middle class have every right to feeling they are being screwed BUT it is legal.
Tax reform to close the loopholes is what's needed.
However, if Apple says they paid all the taxes they owed, this is most likely 100% true.
The EU had better have very deep pockets. If I was Tim, I'd be suing them back for damages to brand name. Laws work both ways. Perhaps the EU will give Apple Greece or Spain as compensation...
Actually, the economy of EU is larger than that of the US, but with vastly lower debt mark. Perhaps the US will soon have to mortgage its entire tech industry (which is built upon the great heist of German patents post-WW2 anyway). No hard feelings, we love you otherwise and I agree with the rest of your comment. ;-)
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Hey Tim, how about another iWorks app in addition to 'Numbers' and 'Pages'? Call it 'Taxes'. To help us "cook the books" Apple style and get our tax rate down to <1.0%.
Should be called 'Apple Pay Mini' to honour their chaotic trend of product names in Cook era.
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The ApplePay mini+s would have that all important "missing feature" to actually calculate the figures.
No, you cannot. But if you loan money from a tax haven subsidiary to a different foreign subsidiary that has "normal" tax rates and charge interest at the going market rate, that's not the same thing, is it? It also achieves the goal of minimising taxes for the foreign sub, as the interest charged is a deductible expense, while the interest earned being recorded by the tax haven subsidiary is either not taxed at all or at a very low rate. This very simple structure in essence extracts portions of the earnings of the foreign subsidiary up to the tax haven subsidiary.
If anyone is to be accused of violating the EU tax rule it would be Ireland. In fact, the EU is actually saying Ireland gave improper tax subsidies specifically to Apple and was illegal under EU state aid rules which does not allow one company to pay less than other companies.
If the Eu insists it can obtain its 'tax due' by reducing its subsidies to Ireland over a 10 year period I suppose, rather than from Apple directly.
They are hoping that Apple with its $200B in cash will help Ireland in this matter.
Good luck EU and be wary of a counter law suit for slandering Apple's good name and goodwill.
People should read the full text at http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-2923_en.htm
If the Eu insists it can obtain its 'tax due' by reducing its subsidies to Ireland over a 10 year period I suppose, rather than from Apple directly.
They are hoping that Apple with its $200B in cash will help Ireland in this matter.
Good luck EU and be wary of a counter law suit for slandering Apple's good name and goodwill.
People should read the full text at http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-2923_en.htm
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Or 'Apple Pay Pro' (costing $1199) to get your tax rate all the way down to 0.005%.
Heh, I celebrated when Steve was gone from Apple, didn't think things would actually get worse;
- MacBooks are disposable and can't be upgraded
- iPhone can't have it's battery removed, no MicroSD card slot, jailbreaking is required to get complete functionality
- iMacs run incredibly hot thanks to the pointless slim design where theres no cold air intake, MOBILE GPUS?!? WTF?!
- Mac Pros are limited with proprietary PCI slots, so the GPUs are useless upon purchase but the thing still costs $4,000
How does a company consciously make all these retarded decisions?
So why are you posting here when the company's entire product line is not for you?
I'm no tax expert but when I read the stuff on Apple, Google, Vodafone, Amazon, Starbucks etc I get embarrassed that we in the 'west' have not sorted out the tax system to stop stuff like this happening.
I understand each country has their reasons but surely this is becoming a race to the bottom.
I understand each country has their reasons but surely this is becoming a race to the bottom.
Tax minimization is not illegal. Many companies use it. Many wealthy people use it. The middle class have every right to feeling they are being screwed BUT it is legal.
Tax reform to close the loopholes is what's needed.
However, if Apple says they paid all the taxes they owed, this is most likely 100% true.
The EU had better have very deep pockets. If I was Tim, I'd be suing them back for damages to brand name. Laws work both ways. Perhaps the EU will give Apple Greece or Spain as compensation...
Great idea, sue the EU, that will build reputation and get the fans flocking back to the stores to support a company that is vigorously defending tax avoidance.
I think you will find the apple fan base is made up of intelligent individuals who care about social issues , hence Tim has been kissing ass to them about how apple is helping to improve the world....problem, is he is a huge hypocrite and this is massive reputation damage...worth way more than the bill.
Tax minimisation is very legal and encouraged..... But finding loopholes, and cheating within the "laws" that gets you 0.005% is not minimisation, Taking a huge advantage of the customer base that support you, and you refuse to contribute back.
Why the heck should I pay 20% vat on Tim's products??? If Tim refuses to pay tax.... And this is from a customers point of view. There is a moral issue here for many , one that people around the world that held apple up to be one of the companies that did the right thing.....
Cause in the west the courruption is under the table, these companies spend a fortune lobbying politicians to make sure these laws do not change .
[doublepost=1472765828][/doublepost]Timmy. Keep this BS rolling .... Play tough ..... And when you start getting your first demostrations outside apple stores, you can be proud of what you achieved at apple
To make people like yourself aware that some of us still have to use Macs at work and some of us have Hackintoshes where OS X is still relevant.
Apple should leave the European Union...
The Irish say that AAPL is in compliance with their laws, but the EU wants to get their grubby little hands on their money. Gotta pay off the elites in Brussels.
Watch the EU continue to fall apart.
And I would not be surprised to learn that more than half of the people pontificating here about tax avoidance being immoral routinely steal music AND software. All justified and rationalized of course, because corporations are "evil".
The Irish say that AAPL is in compliance with their laws, but the EU wants to get their grubby little hands on their money. Gotta pay off the elites in Brussels.
Watch the EU continue to fall apart.
And I would not be surprised to learn that more than half of the people pontificating here about tax avoidance being immoral routinely steal music AND software. All justified and rationalized of course, because corporations are "evil".
MR now the home of the anti Apple trolls and liable comments. How this place has turned into a joke.
I can't tell if you're trolling or serious....
[doublepost=1472766873][/doublepost]
Actually it seems to be pretty well filled with the "Apple can do no wrong" fanboy zealots who will defend Apple no mater that the facts are.