It may not be fair, but it is what it is.
Apple paid what the laws in Ireland said Apple should pay. We shouldn't be faulting Apple for following Ireland's laws.
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Tim Cook Calls Apple's Irish Tax Avoidance Accusations 'Total Political Crap'
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It may not be fair, but it is what it is.
Apple paid what the laws in Ireland said Apple should pay. We shouldn't be faulting Apple for following Ireland's laws.
Exactly what? They do use those funds (opposed to what you stated earlier), the money doesn't just "sit there". Also, that seems to me like they don't want to repatriate said money (opposed to what you implied earlier). Now you can argue that they want to strong-arm the US government for a sweet deal..but I guess we all know why they don't say that out loud..
It does not matter what Ireland wants. Of course Ireland does not want to collect this money, because that was the whole point of the scheme in the first place. This particular scheme is unlawful under EU law, to which Irish law is subjected, and it is the Commission’s purpose to enforce it.
The Commission cannot make the ’taxation argument’, because that is not what this is about. That this is about taxation is only incidental, the crux of the Commission’s decision is that Apple, a private company, received public money from Ireland on an individual basis. The EU has had strict rules for this exact situation since the original European Economic Community Treaty (1958). Member States are generally not allowed to use their public money to favour particular companies, because it violates the ideals of the free market and reduces cross-border and domestic competition. If Ireland does not want money from Apple, then it has to do his through general taxation, not by selectively exempting certain companies.
It is truly astonishing how many representatives the Entitlement and Gimmie Generations have here...and even more so astonishing how many of them are corporate and international tax law experts.
The Greatest Generation gave way to the Building Generation, which then created the Spending Generation. The Spending Generation gave birth to the Entitlement Generation, and now the Entitlement Generation is spawning the Gimmie Generation, who will occupy your cities until they get "their fair share." Somehow, they feel they are owed something simply because they exist.
The Greatest Generation gave way to the Building Generation, which then created the Spending Generation. The Spending Generation gave birth to the Entitlement Generation, and now the Entitlement Generation is spawning the Gimmie Generation, who will occupy your cities until they get "their fair share." Somehow, they feel they are owed something simply because they exist.
Apple did pay their taxes. Even Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan has stated so and is why he's appealing this EU decision.
They are not setting a fine for anyone. Apple only has to pay the normal Irish corporate tax.
What law? According to Irish tax code the corporate tax rate is 12.5%. This is the whole problem! Apple didn't pay what the law says. What Apple did is they negotiated to receive illegal (against EU tax treaty which Ireland has ratified) financial aid and now they have to pay what the law says. If one actually believes that Apple didn't know this is illegal then they are gullible fools.
Lets put it this way. Why do you think Apple has most of they IP in Ireland? So that they can avoid paying EU and US taxes.
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You missed the part that if they do use those funds, they pay taxes on what they use.
"where they can be deployed efficiently to fund international operations at a lower cost."
By "lower cost" they mean at the local tax rate where they are needed, rather than the higher rate charged by the U.S.
Oh. Couldn't one argue that is pretty much tax avoidance? Or at least the hope of tax avoidance? Not trying to be a jerk, by the way. You're educating me on the subject.
You lost me, is Apple part of the Entitlement Generation or Gimmie Generation?!
Then the EU has been gullible fools for 30 years. Or... it's not as cut and dry as you think.
Sure. Nothing wrong with tax avoidance. Happens every time you take a deduction.
I backread through this thread and haven't seen a single response to this yet. Interesting, it's as if people aren't able to point to a law he broke.
Maybe because there was at max one poster that seriously wanted Tim Cook personally go to jail over this.
Agree, but which law? There are so many, so many countries involved especially when transferring money. It is a serious grey area.
Boy if Tim keeps up this stance pretty soon he will be a libertarian. You mean a gigantic leviathan government will be dishonest and bend laws and requirements to get what thinks it's best for the elites who run it? Say it isn't so Timmy?!? However, philosophy aside in addition to fighting this legally you may want to pick up the phone, donate a few million to the Clinton Foundation, a few million to Hillarys campaign so you can get some time with her and she can probably put some leverage on the EU for you. Unless they offer her more of course. But either way - probably less than 14 billion. You can buy a lot of politicians for 14 billion.
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Ehm, and what local tax rate would that be? As we learned, AOI is located in fantasy land.
Ireland is a sovereign nation. Its THEIR laws. They say Apple fully compiled with THEIR law. A foreign body, the EU, has NO right to say otherwise. Only the Irish government can decide if Apple broke IRISH tax law
That doesn't meet the definition of a shell company. Shells have no employees. Apple is the largest employer in Ireland
Again, the rate wherever the use the money. They can't spend the money in fantasy land!
For example, it they need to pay for a new data center in Germany, the transfer the income from fantasy land to their German subsidiary, pay German income taxes, and use the money to build the data center.
"Total political crap"... from a guy fund raising for Hillary... that's rich! He inserts himself into politics and then complains when politics impact Apple that don't align with his politics, and are not convenient for him.
Apple didn't raise money for anyone. He did that as a private citizen
AOI has no employees. Apples has a second corporation in Ireland that does have employees.
No, Ireland is not a souvereign country with regards to state subsidies. They have signed several EU contracts that limit their freedom here for the good of fair competition.