Tim Cook Calls Apple's Irish Tax Avoidance Accusations 'Total Political Crap'

[SBlue1]

What shell companies has Apple built? None that I know about.

Besides all the companies that Apple made to obscure where all the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and so on trademarks landed? That was not your intention I guess.

Apple Operations Europe and Apple Sales International are shell companies actually. They have a handful people on their payroll and exist almost only on paper yet they report all of their European profits to those companies so they don't have to tax those profits in the land where they happened.

 

[bitslap47]

So is Ireland collecting for the whole EU, or just Ireland sales? If just Ireland, the "maths" are wrong on that 0.005% figure.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Honestly I think this punishes Northern Ireland more than it does Apple.

Northern Ireland?! Make sure there aren't any Irish around to hear you say that! NI's still part of the UK as well

Cork's well in the South. Gorgeous, buttery voices. NI definitely sounds a little harsher.

 

[Gasu E.]

What specifically did he do that should land him in jail?

To some people, it doesn't matter. They just like to say "throw 'em in jail!" There's no rational thought process here. Many are adrenaline junkies that are addicted to getting pumped and angry. Stop trying to reason with them-- it just feeds their habits.

 

[thermodynamic]

Say what you want about Tim Cook. The eBook case, the tax case, privacy...he fight hard

Yes. He fights for stock owners, especially those who own the largest numbers of stock. Does he fight for customers or workers? Oh, look up the privacy and other lawsuits Apple has had in the past. Strange how they didn't think of any of this before the lawsuits... but, as I've said elsewhere, correlation is not always causation and humans can have actual oversight of things (I almost forgot to say that as well so, no, I am mocking nobody.)

 

[Rogifan]

If Tim's not a crook in the legal sense then he is a notorious offender in the moral sense.

The way he's defending Apple right now leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Redistribution of wealth is immoral too. Like Maggie Thatcher once said, "the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money". Corporations shouldn't even pay taxes. It's double taxation and any tax they pay is just passed on to the consumer anyway.

 

[thermodynamic]

To some people, it doesn't matter. They just like to say "throw 'em in jail!" There's no rational thought process here. Many are adrenaline junkies that are addicted to getting pumped and angry. Stop trying to reason with them-- it just feeds their habits.

Or that's why companies say there are too many regulations and laws.

No laws = no lawbreaking. Simple.

Of course, that doesn't always work the way you want it, and yes I mean you as in you no less than the word as a general descriptor of the general public.

 

[jamezr]

THIS, absolutely.

If the Apple lawyers didn't take the time to read someone else's small print, that is their own fault.

When you are being taxed $50 for $1,000,000 of income, you look like a fool and an idiot if you act surprised and angry when someone else comes along and questions + corrects it.

Exactly.....Apple has there billions in Ireland for a reason.....not because they just like the countryside. Then to act all surprised?

 

[Rogifan]

To some people, it doesn't matter. They just like to say "throw 'em in jail!" There's no rational thought process here. Many are adrenaline junkies that are addicted to getting pumped and angry. Stop trying to reason with them-- it just feeds their habits.

They're like Donald Trump supporters.

 

[Waxhead138]

I just find it funny that they purposely chose ireland because they knew they could manipulate their taxes there. And now that the loophole is closed and the EU wants the money Apple avoided by using those loopholes in Ireland, Apple screams foul.

listen, you may not like the decision Cook, but you had to know it was a possibility when you purposely chose a tax jurisdiction you knew to be questionable.

I don't agree with the ruling against Apple in this case, simply because an agreement was made, albeit a shady one....that both parties agreed on and was honored. Backed by a government. Not by some schmoe named Bob that answers the tax hot line in Ireland.

I do very much agree with you that it had to have been known to be at least a questionable agreement and there shouldn't be any surprise that it's been examined.

 

[twietee]

For once Tim Cook isn't being politically correct. I applaud him for it. Btw, the treasury secretary of the US government agrees with him.

You applaud him for what he specifically said or just because he's politically incorrect? And the US treasury isn'T too happy because whatever Apple pays now back in taxes (remains to be seen) can't be collected by the US. That is if Apple ever decides to actually pay taxes for those billions shipped aside...talk about high and mighty.

 

[rhett7660]

Tim Cook has chops, and he's absolutely, 100% right.

If the EU commission has a problem with alleged Ireland state aids, then it should fine Ireland, not Apple.

Obeying the current law should never lead to punishment.

Easy, you are using common sense on this which seems to be escaping a lot of folks here.

 

[MRU]

Ehh, says who? You? If entity xyz didn't pay enough taxes and that is found out (can go back up to ten years) that entity has to pay the differences. And since Ireland is part of the EU you better not only look what Ireland has to say - that would mean you have the ****** lawyers / advisors ever. Unlikely that Apple hired those but who knows.

The EU want Ireland revenue commissioners to collect tax from Apple California which is where the bulk of the revenue / money was made from all parts of the world including USA, whereas the Irish Revenue Commissioners collected tax based on Apple Ireland's profit / revenue which was entirely legal and above board.

The EU is stating that because the Irish Revenue never collected from the 'global' company - it essentially 'ethically' amounted to giving Apple state aid - however 'legally' that is simply not the case. Ireland did nothing illegal.

The Irish Revenue can only collect tax on it's Irish company on its profit / revenue within Ireland and not on its global company - it was the responsibility of the USA and other countries revenue departments to collect tax from Apple on profits earned globally.

Even if Ireland suddenly collected €13 Billion - every tax revenue department in other countries would be able to stake some claim to that pot of cash and especially America where undoubtably they want the majority of it re-patriated.

This is a case of EU Shenanigans and Ireland are caught in the middle of a game of power. At the end of the day - Ireland will never see this money and the EU know it, hence they are not imposing any fine or penalties on Ireland, because it knows full well legally there is none ....

 

[SMIDG3T]

Tim is a crook. If I did that stuff I'll be put in jail by the IRS. So tired of these big companies getting all these breaks and the little guy getting screwed.

What they've done is legal.

Perhaps you'd be a better person if you were behind bars for a while...

 

[radio893fm]

What was your Federal Tax Liability last year? Just how badly are you getting screwed?

You buy apple products and you are for increasing their tax footprint?

When you are old enough to pay taxes, come back and we will discuss this from the correct point of view.

 

[jaded-mandarin]

Redistribution of wealth is immoral too. Like Maggie Thatcher once said, "the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money". Corporations shouldn't even pay taxes. It's double taxation and any tax they pay is just passed on to the consumer anyway.

I hope you pave your own roads and personally pay the policemen and school teachers.

 

[MH01]

For once Tim Cook isn't being politically correct. I applaud him for it. Btw, the treasury secretary of the US government agrees with him.

im not sure spitting the dummy is a better look for him. Just comes across as a complete hypocrite. Maybe I'm just tired of his endless BS with nothing actually happening at the product line....

Treasury secretary can agree all he likes, and I'm sure it's a result of favourable lobbying .... But this is an EU matter.

 

[inhalexhale1]

0.005 % tax Tim. Legal or not, how can you even defend this?

Because he does the right thing, never the easy thing.

Getting really tired of this guy and the hypocritical, holier than though attitude.

 

[smallcoffee]

Right thing over easy thing? THE right thing to do is to pay your taxes and lobby the government like the rest of us. The easy thing is to skirt the law and then not pay your taxes while you wait for it to get changed.

 

[MRU]

So is Ireland collecting for the whole EU, or just Ireland sales? If just Ireland, the "maths" are wrong on that 0.005% figure.

The maths are wrong, but this is about politically stampeding and embarrassing a rich multi-national so it suits their agenda to make it look as small as possible.

 

[Gasu E.]

0.005 % tax Tim. Legal or not, how can you even defend this?

That .005% sounds like spin. You can see Apple's income and tax statements here. Do the math for yourself.

 

[thermodynamic]

Redistribution of wealth is immoral too. Like Maggie Thatcher once said, "the problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money". Corporations shouldn't even pay taxes. It's double taxation and any tax they pay is just passed on to the consumer anyway.

Like Americans seeing the value of their work go down?

Or Americans being forced to train foreign replacements?

Those are no less examples of redistribution.

Speaking of "other peoples' ", have you thought of these: Companies don't seem to mind taking corporate welfare when getting done telling us government involvement in corporate affairs is wrong. Or bailouts. They take our money for products but offer piss poor support and planned obsolescence and tell us "tough cookies" when buying a 5th yacht because they feel entitled after having ripped us off.

Or companies using other peoples' children to die for them as walking lab experiments... or in combat fighting wars in other countries where said companies might have laboratories or factories there.


Thatcher also was a hypocrite, how can people not have noticed?? Oh well... I'm not going to explain it all. You've already disagreed with everything else "just because"...

 

[H2SO4]

0.005 % tax Tim. Legal or not, how can you even defend this?

This. Even the fanboys can’t come up with an answer for this one.

 

[inhalexhale1]

Such BS.



Care to explain how it's ok that Ireland gets funds from the EU but doesn't seem to care to collect taxes in a appropriate manner?

Don't engage those who live in bizarro world.

 

[thermodynamic]

The maths are wrong, but this is about politically stampeding and embarrassing a rich multi-national so it suits their agenda to make it look as small as possible.

A rich multinational that used excessively unethical means to get there. Using excuses to offshore jobs, driving down wages (which even impacts you adversely somewhere in the chain) and expecting the unemployed to buy their latest overpriced poorly made product (I've discussed those issues in the technical forums, I'm not straying from the net point here - not today). Overlooking the factories they use with forced happiness parades because of worker suicides that prove the company corporate culture is vile, is that what you people are defending now??