Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
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Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#2Experiencing a little schadenfreude. Some karma in the idea that an overarching organization will "crawl" Google's "content" and then potentially take an action that will affect their bottom line.
Maybe the tax officials should offer Google a chance to "disavow" some of their book entries :)
Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#3"Several have been accused of using legal methods to minimise their tax bills."
I don't see this ending well.
Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#4"Several have been accused of using legal methods to minimise their tax bills."
Since when is it illegal to follow the law? Sure, we all have different opinions on the legal gray areas and of whether certain or all laws are legitimate and to what extent - but come on, that quote is just ridiculous.
Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#5Good. The way multinationals are allowed to take the resources of the various nation states they operate in while contributing nothing themselves, yet still claiming to be 'people' and demanding all sorts of rights, is beyond the joke. Before anyone says it, yes I'm aware they pay GST/VAT/PAYE etc, but if I have to pay company tax, why don't they?
Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#6"Several have been accused of using legal methods to minimise their tax bills." Since when is it illegal to follow the law? Sure, we all have different opinions on the legal gray areas and of whether certain or all laws are legitimate and to what extent - but come on, that quote is just ridiculous.
It's not the most eloquent phrasing. I think what they're trying to say is "People find legalistic tax-dodging unethical, and they're sick of rich people and big companies getting away with it."
Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#7Good. The way multinationals are allowed to take the resources of the various nation states they operate in while contributing nothing themselves, yet still claiming to be 'people' and demanding all sorts of rights, is beyond the joke. Before anyone says it, yes I'm aware they pay GST/VAT/PAYE etc, but if I have to pay company tax, why don't they?
>while contributing nothing themselves
They contribute a service, in this case a search engine that's miles ahead of its closest competitor, Bing. They don't "take" anything, they offer something that you're free not to use. Unlike nation states, which are happy to take whatever they want (claiming they're owed it for providing you things you may never have asked for, which are paid for by other people potentially against their will, and for which you're probably not allowed to solicit alternative providers) and your only option if you don't like it is to emigrate.
Google doesn't throw black people in prison for recreational drug use, Google doesn't prevent people from marrying who they want, Google doesn't send people to die fighting pointless wars in the middle east, or drone bomb weddings.
>but if I have to pay company tax, why don't they
If you're uncomfortable with how much taxes you pay, then blame whoever's taxing you, not Google.
Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#8Good. The way multinationals are allowed to take the resources of the various nation states they operate in while contributing nothing themselves, yet still claiming to be 'people' and demanding all sorts of rights, is beyond the joke. Before anyone says it, yes I'm aware they pay GST/VAT/PAYE etc, but if I have to pay company tax, why don't they?
This is an excellent attitude to take if you want Google to physically exit France.
Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#9Hopefully one outcome of this undertaking will be some clarity - does Google sufficiently use legal methods? If so, this raid might be more show and a "fishing expedition" than genuinely deployed based on cause. However, if there was sufficient evidence to justify such a raid, then I will be interested to read the findings by the French authorities. Discussing tax reform is about as contentious as discussing IP/copyright reform, in that unless major global players get consistent, then it's just too entrenched to disrupt I think.
Personally I'd like to see both avenues get shaken up but it's sort of questionable in the long-term, as I see both the "big authorities" and "big players" as having a lot of political overlap and influence. Basically minimize until it goes away (or causes such rot the host dies).
Re: Google's Paris HQ raided in tax probe
#10Good. The way multinationals are allowed to take the resources of the various nation states they operate in while contributing nothing themselves, yet still claiming to be 'people' and demanding all sorts of rights, is beyond the joke. Before anyone says it, yes I'm aware they pay GST/VAT/PAYE etc, but if I have to pay company tax, why don't they?
" multinationals are allowed to take the resources of the various nation states they operate in while contributing nothing themselves".
I agree with the sentiment that they should receive equal treatment than local/smaller companies, but saying that they contribute "nothing" is unfair and ingenuous, they do in terms of creation of local jobs and the direct and indirect taxes they pay for them.