Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
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Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
1–10 of 817 posts
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#2I think we can bitch all we like and nothing will happen. International taxation is complicated and part of a multinational's business model revolves around exploiting that for shareholder gain.
What this points to is that we need a new global trade and taxation agreement for handling this. But the policy makers don't want that because they benefit from it.
Ergo, it'll always be like this.
At best you can add additional sales tax for non-resident companies at the point of sale to kill their bottom line. But no one will do that because the government will be the target of the abuse from the consumer.
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#3I think we can bitch all we like and nothing will happen. International taxation is complicated and part of a multinational's business model revolves around exploiting that for shareholder gain. What this points to is that we need a new global trade and taxation agreement for handling this. But the policy makers don't want that because they benefit from it. Ergo, it'll always be like this. At best you can add additio…
Also, they make it sound like Cook could do anything.
If he would, the shareholders would simply replace him.
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#4The point about Apple hiring best graduates who got their education mostly free of charge cause of all the tax payers really shift my mind about the whole tax-avoidance thing.
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#5"Such “tax optimization” – albeit legal – is only possible because specialized law firms such as Appleby devise complex company structures inaccessible to most other firms"
Maybe governments should simplify their own tax rules. Then you wouldn't need specialised law firms and simpler tax systems are harder to bypass.
To add, there is nothing 'moral' about tax - you have no choice but to pay what you're legally obligated to pay. Given the lack of choice in the matter, since when did it become a crime to do what you need to do to stay within the law?
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#6I think we can bitch all we like and nothing will happen. International taxation is complicated and part of a multinational's business model revolves around exploiting that for shareholder gain. What this points to is that we need a new global trade and taxation agreement for handling this. But the policy makers don't want that because they benefit from it. Ergo, it'll always be like this. At best you can add additio…
Countries can unilaterally have taxes based on the share of total company profit generated in the country, rather than just profit in the country.
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#7I think we can bitch all we like and nothing will happen. International taxation is complicated and part of a multinational's business model revolves around exploiting that for shareholder gain. What this points to is that we need a new global trade and taxation agreement for handling this. But the policy makers don't want that because they benefit from it. Ergo, it'll always be like this. At best you can add additio…
Also, they make it sound like Cook could do anything. If he would, the shareholders would simply replace him.
Exactly.
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#8Dear Herr Krach, thank you for your letter.
I think you misunderstand how business works.
Apple is a profit seeking corporation. Profits we make, we hope to distribute to our shareholders. Paying taxes is an obligation with which we comply, both to the letter and in spirit. We meet such obligations, but not nilly-willy. Our shareholders would not look kindly upon executives who pay more taxes than necessary.
Avoidance of taxes is not illegal. We even enlist the help of tax offices in many countries, like the Netherlands, Ireland and perhaps some countries internationally deemed 'tax havens'. We pay what through mutual understanding with tax offices worldwide is necessary.
If you conclude that you find tax evasion a problem, this would be a political problem, not one of enterprise. No enterprise would knowingly pay to much and no construct of 'corporate social responsibility' could make paying too much alright. We should seek to minimize cost, and we do.
Governments should fix tax evasion, not corporations. It's not my role to point out the obvious, but if you find the VAT customers pay on our products insufficient and were hoping on a larger slice of our 'foreign income': fix your tax code.
Kind regards, TC ;)
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#9people avoid tax all the time, when VAT goes up do you buy that new TV or do you wait for the next budget. of if it's a laptop do you wait to buy it at duty free?
Re: Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
#10"Such “tax optimization” – albeit legal – is only possible because specialized law firms such as Appleby devise complex company structures inaccessible to most other firms" Maybe governments should simplify their own tax rules. Then you wouldn't need specialised law firms and simpler tax systems are harder to bypass. To add, there is nothing 'moral' about tax - you have no choice but to pay what you're legally obliga…
should people who make enough money to hire an accountant be punished? because i'm sure they'll avoid/reduce some taxes?