Apple's Tax Dodge

[rkevwill]

Perhaps folks should take a look at this chart, and note who pays what. I am not completely confident of the accuracy of the numbers, but I have seen them in other forms before, and the numbers are similar.

http://www.payupnow.org/TaxPercents2011.htm

[Mitlov]

Perhaps folks should take a look at this chart, and note who pays what. I am not completely confident of the accuracy of the numbers, but I have seen them in other forms before, and the numbers are similar.

http://www.payupnow.org/TaxPercents2011.htm

I'm not sure that chart is accurate. Here's a Reuter's story where Exxon claimed to have paid 41% taxes, but according to US profits versus US taxes paid, Reuters calculated the taxes paid at 13%. The "pay up now" chart has them at a mere 2.1%, 1/6th of Reuter's critical-of-the-company calculation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...82P0DX20120326

[rkevwill]

Remember, tax percentage paid, is mentioned in two ways normally. As a percentage of Gross Income, and as a percentage of Taxable Income. Percentage of Gross Income is always going to be a much lower percentage, whereas Percentage of Taxable Income, will always be higher. Example, a person can easily be paying 30% of Taxable Income, yet is only paying for instance, 18% of Gross Income. As I mentioned when I posted that link, I am not completely confident of the numbers, but when I laid the numbers besides my own internal documents, the rankings, total taxes paid etc, are very very close, and the parallels are there.

Frankly, I get a kick out of people lambasting Apple. (not that anyone here specifically did). But just using Mitlov as an example...(no offense Mitlov, your items are just above me here), Who pays more US taxes? HTC, Sony, Amazon, Foxconn, or Apple? Amazon is just now getting called to task about State taxes. They have been getting a pass, and all of us using that loophole ourselves, for years! Where is all the disgust with that? (as i read more stories about apple getting tax breaks for Austin Texas, and more power to them for providing US jobs!)

[Mi An]

Frankly, I get a kick out of people lambasting Apple. (not that anyone here specifically did). But just using Mitlov as an example...

Like the Chinese labor issue, I suspect Apple is being singled out for something that every single company in the business does.

Heh.

As you said, I don't see anyone here, even an Apple-hater like myself, particularly picking on Apple.

I suspect the lesser disgust with Amazon in re sales taxes (though I see lots of outraged articles from the same Main Street loving journalists who scared us into bailing out Wall Street while leaving Main Street footing the bill) comes from people knowing that those sales taxes are exacted directly from them. Corporate taxes ultimately come from their pockets too, a cost like any other cost, but it's indirect, so somehow the myth that corporate taxes come out of the corporation's mattress or Scrooge McDuckesque money pool makes folks feel less put upon than sales taxes do.

[Mitlov]

Yeah, just because I said that the "payupnow.org" chart was inaccurate doesn't mean I was targeting Apple. Like I said before, I think Apple is being singled out in the media for an industry-wide practice.

[rkevwill]

Yeah, just because I said that the "payupnow.org" chart was inaccurate doesn't mean I was targeting Apple. Like I said before, I think Apple is being singled out in the media for an industry-wide practice.

Understood, and agreed. I was talking about your devices in your signature

[Mitlov]

Understood, and agreed. I was talking about your devices in your signature

In order to keep my signature at a reasonable length, I only mention my primary smartphone, primary laptop, and primary tablet. In my house, you'll also find a MacBook Pro 15 (2008), a Powerbook G4, an iPad 1, and an iPod Touch. Until 2011, when I got the Vaio, the MBP was my primary computer.