Live data from Hacker News

Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

reuters.com

71–80 of 537 posts

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is a one of a kind company. In my opinion, I don't think most US Corporations are concerned with the needs of the many.

Apple is a significant percentage of the economy all by itself.

What do you think a "significant percentage" is? Is it 10%? 1%? 0.005%?

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#72

I find it fascinating that a tax plan proposed by a President reviled throughout the Valley is the one thing that finally convinced Apple to repatriate much of its overseas cash and invest it here in the US. They of course give no credit to him in this press release, but the proof is in the pudding. Of the many heavy handed ideas and efforts made by the previous administration to convince Apple to do this, exactly 0…

> I find it fascinating that a tax plan proposed by a President reviled throughout the Valley is the one thing that finally convinced Apple to repatriate much of its overseas cash and invest it here in the US.

Why is that fascinating? It's the tax holiday the tech megacorps have been asking for since the last one in 2004.

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#73
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair the bonuses I've heard about have been laughable so far and accompanied by large lay offs in two cases (Walmart and Comcast).

What about Walmart also increasing their hourly pay? [0] [0] - https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/11/walmart-to-boost-starting-wa...

https://thinkprogress.org/walmart-fires-thousands-after-bonu...

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That money was never coming back otherwise. So no, you couldn't reasonably write that. You'd have to enter an alternate reality where US corporations like Apple voluntarily paid the backwards, high US global profit tax.

This doesn't quite make sense - the decision/cost to bring the money 'into the US' depends on a variety of factors. I am not a domain expert, but the availability of cheap credit must have been a principal consideration, as well as the knowledge that a potential Republican president would offer an effective repatriation holiday. In short, there are many conceivable situations in which it might make sense to pay such…

> the decision/cost to bring the money 'into the US' depends on a variety of factors

No it doesn't. Apple has been lobbying aggressively for years, including during most of the Obama Administration, to change the backwards US global tax policy (the US being one of the few countries to utilize such an approach) and or to arrange a one-time repatriation holiday. They finally got what they wanted and they're repatriating the money immediately thereafter.

It depended on one thing: getting a low enough rate to make bringing the cash home modestly punishing. Apple was always clear about that, Tim Cook spelled it out in numerous interviews over several years.

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#75

I find it fascinating that a tax plan proposed by a President reviled throughout the Valley is the one thing that finally convinced Apple to repatriate much of its overseas cash and invest it here in the US. They of course give no credit to him in this press release, but the proof is in the pudding. Of the many heavy handed ideas and efforts made by the previous administration to convince Apple to do this, exactly 0…

> I find it fascinating that a tax plan proposed by a President reviled throughout the Valley is the one thing that finally convinced Apple to repatriate much of its overseas cash and invest it here in the US. Why is that fascinating? It's the tax holiday the tech megacorps have been asking for since the last one in 2004.

And yet nobody gave it to them until now, which resulted in trillions of dollars that should have been benefitting the US economy sitting unused in places like Ireland.

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair the bonuses I've heard about have been laughable so far and accompanied by large lay offs in two cases (Walmart and Comcast).

Bank of America, AT&T, Comcast, Walmart, Jetblue, Southwest are just a few who announced $1,000 bonuses. Not laughable to middle class Americans. Aren't middle class who liberals fight for? Source: http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/11/news/economy/tax-law-raises-...

https://thinkprogress.org/walmart-fires-thousands-after-bonu...

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#77
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair the bonuses I've heard about have been laughable so far and accompanied by large lay offs in two cases (Walmart and Comcast).

$1,000 is not laughable to most people.

If you're talking about Walmart, they announced a one-time bonus of up to $1,000. Walmart estimates that it will cost about $400 million [1], and they employ 2.3 million people [2], so the average bonus is under $200. Meanwhile Walmart will save about $1.8 billion a year in taxes, every year, thanks to the tax cut.

[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-11/wal-mart-...

[2] https://www.google.be/search?q=number+of+employees+walmart

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#78
post #5

I love it. Apple gets to avoid paying taxes for years through accounting slight of hand, and then when they finally pay for part of what they owe they want a pat on the back for doing so. Corporations, man.

I'm rather sure your criticism is ill-founded: the money they're talking about moving to (US) Apple Inc is actually profit of other companies also named Apple homed in other countries, of course related to (US) Apple Inc and set up by the original, but with profits already taxed (your point: at questionable rates) in those home countries. They could just reinvest those profits in THOSE countries rather than the US. I imagine folks in those other countries might be sore that Apple isn't locally investing.

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair the bonuses I've heard about have been laughable so far and accompanied by large lay offs in two cases (Walmart and Comcast).

Bank of America, AT&T, Comcast, Walmart, Jetblue, Southwest are just a few who announced $1,000 bonuses. Not laughable to middle class Americans. Aren't middle class who liberals fight for? Source: http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/11/news/economy/tax-law-raises-...

Relative to the tax savings those companies will enjoy and the fact it's a one time payment instead of salary increase? IIRC Comcast will end up paying about $150 million in bonuses which will only be a fraction of the first year tax savings for them.

If that's what this big hoopla ultimately amounts to then it will be highly disappointing. The fact that we are celebrating $1000 bonuses from corporations that have been enjoying record profits (for the most part) recently is disheartening. Something is better than nothing I guess.

Re: Apple plans new U.S. campus, to pay $38B in foreign cash taxes

#80

>Apple is already responsible for creating and supporting over 2 million jobs across the United States and expects to generate even more jobs as a result of the initiatives being announced today What percentage of jobs of these are full time versus part time? Why do large corporations and politicians love to toot their horns about 'jobs', but refuse to go into details? Oh wait, there public. >Employees:As of Septembe…

toot
Post reply on HN