Big companies think & act in terms of priorities and not what is right or wrong.
The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
181–190 of 292 posts
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#182What was my tax rate again? Oh yes, somewhere around 40%... Nice to see that everyone is doing their share.
Unless you made a shitload of money I highly doubt your effective rate was 40%. The rate on the last x% of your money might have been taxed at 40% but most places have a progressive tax structure. Deductions should lower the effective rate further. I'm speaking for the US, by the way.
If he made shitload of money, he'd be doing tax mitigation of his own, and probably wouldn't pay 40% either.
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#183Has anyone thought of or seen a startup designed to bring these kinds of tax advantages to average citizens?
There would be a real value in streamlining this legal process of creating shell companies or whatever is needed in some sort of mass market approach.
It seems like the only people this is available to are big companies or high net worth individuals who can afford expensive one-on-one consultation with accountants/lawyers.
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#184If this scheme saves them that much money on overseas corporate taxes, why send your sales revenues to Ireland, and then jump through these hoops to avoid taxes on them, in the first place?
Why not move that part of the company, that collects all international ad revenue and whatnot, to the Netherlands or Bermuda, and just skip the tricky step of getting the money out of Ireland?
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#185Earlier quoted context omitted.
but it's equally a stretch to suggest that we're better off because Google pays less tax In absolutely no way is it a stretch to say that and I'm terribly surprised you have any upvotes. Are you aware of how many services Google provides for free that make my life (and probably yours) better? Google Search Google Maps Android Google Navigation (on Android) Google Patent Search Google Book Search (Working with librari…
Which of the above services do you think wouldn't exist if Google avoided less tax? There's an opportunity cost of private companies paying less tax too - either someone else pays more tax which marginally decreases their ability to be productive and enterprising or something purportedly socially beneficial doesn't get paid for. Even coupled with inspired management, the profit motive doesn't ensure that an acquisiti…
Which of the above services do you think wouldn't exist if Google avoided less tax?
You're going to have to explain to me how this is relevant.
What Google is doing is legal which means that you're trying to make this an argument about ethics. My point is that Google provides real value to millions of people around the world and has the resources, both human and monetary, to make real progress in many areas of technology which then benefit you and me. It benefits me more to have the money stay at Google than go to a failed school system or failing healthcare system.
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#186Startup idea: Company that cheaply sets up individuals/small companies to evade taxes in the same way big corporations do. You pay a subscription fee or something and they fill out the returns and set up a PO Box in Bermuda or whatever.
This is what I was thinking too (made a separate comment before seeing this):
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1816651
I will say that this seems like a company that should be started by lawyers and not programmers though.
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#187Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is a very common idea among right-wing Americans -- they'd rather have companies take care of us than the government. The government is wasteful and full of beaurocrats. Let Walmart, P&G, and Monstanto clothe, wash and feed rather than the beaurocrats in Washington. I guess the idea is that many educated and informed consumers will pick among the best companies and competition will drive the costs down.
That is a very common idea among right-wing Americans -- they'd rather have companies take care of us than the government. No, right-wing Americans want to take care of themselves. They would just rather freely pay for certain services (health care, for instance) from competing private firms than be provided it by the government. Framing the question as "who will clothe and feed and wash us" is implicitly a leftist f…
> most people clothe and feed and wash themselves
How so? Most don't own the means to produce all those things.
Most people buy those goods and choose between a range of available products. The fundamental flaw with that (at least as far as I see) is what happens if the products are unsafe. Imagine that FDA wasn't there (or its European equivalent) and companies could sell you anything whatsoever as food. How often have you gone shopping with a pestiside testing kid, a bacterial testing kit and a geiger counter? How do you know that all 15 type of shampoo you can buy don't all have mercury in them?
Basically both extremes don't work. A completely planned economy will not work but I have not seen a liberatrian utopia either so far.
The one advantage of the government is that at least in theory you can cast a vote to effect some change. You could not do that if you are run by Google.
Maybe I don't like Gmail and Gmail is the only mail in town, I can't force Google to change it. But can at least attempt to call my congressman if I don't like a particular upcoming bill.
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#188Earlier quoted context omitted.
but it's equally a stretch to suggest that we're better off because Google pays less tax In absolutely no way is it a stretch to say that and I'm terribly surprised you have any upvotes. Are you aware of how many services Google provides for free that make my life (and probably yours) better? Google Search Google Maps Android Google Navigation (on Android) Google Patent Search Google Book Search (Working with librari…
To say any of these things have made anyones life better is quite a stretch. Has gmail improved your quality of life? Really? Choose your words carefully. Indoor plumbing and electricity made life better. Gmail has not. Your email was fine before Gmail. And Google should pay their F-ing taxes. I do.
Has gmail improved your quality of life? Really?
The ability to access my email from anywhere, organize, and quickly search through thousands and thousands of emails in seconds has improved my quality of life. Maybe not as much as indoor plumbing, but it has.
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#189If Google thinks that they can more efficiently contribute to the public good by using the savings to provide services directly than by paying taxes, they have a moral obligation to minimize the taxes.
Re: The Tax Haven That's Saving Google Billions
#190Earlier quoted context omitted.
but it's equally a stretch to suggest that we're better off because Google pays less tax In absolutely no way is it a stretch to say that and I'm terribly surprised you have any upvotes. Are you aware of how many services Google provides for free that make my life (and probably yours) better? Google Search Google Maps Android Google Navigation (on Android) Google Patent Search Google Book Search (Working with librari…
Which of the above services do you think wouldn't exist if Google avoided less tax? There's an opportunity cost of private companies paying less tax too - either someone else pays more tax which marginally decreases their ability to be productive and enterprising or something purportedly socially beneficial doesn't get paid for. Even coupled with inspired management, the profit motive doesn't ensure that an acquisiti…
On a similar note: I'd trust Google to put its profits to more effective use than any government.