Avoiding tax

[EOS]

Apple the worlds richest company payed less than 2% tax in the UK by using complex systems that allows them to pass money through offshore havens.

It made more than £23 BILLION this year not including the USA, and they are not the only ones at it Amazon,Facebook and Ebay avoided paying more than 850 MILLION IN corporation tax.

This might be legall!!!! but when we are being told that we ALL must pay our fair share in these difficult times is this correct.

[weezer 316]

Apple the worlds richest company payed less than 2% tax in the UK by using complex systems that allows them to pass money through offshore havens.

It made more than £23 BILLION this year not including the USA, and they are not the only ones at it Amazon,Facebook and Ebay avoided paying more than 850 MILLION IN corporation tax.

This might be legall!!!! but when we are being told that we ALL must pay our fair share in these difficult times is this correct.

No its not correct. Unfortunately national governments dealing with multi national corporations will lead to loopholes like this. It would take an unbelievable amount of international co-operation to to clamp down on it. Untumately I think the only thing that will work is people voting with their feet......ANd thats even more unlikely to happen.

I would stress though, the govt isnt cutting spending because of apple. This is money they never had in the first place but they spent it anyway, and billions more besides. Dont forget that!

[Phill]

Not complex and perfectly above board. 'tis the beauty of the EU for you.

(Don't forget it is the view of some that an Independent Scotland wants to embrace and deepen its financial ties with the EU. Food for thought on waving more revenue goodbye with 'independent' tax 'raising powers'.)
My apologies, I don't want to divert this to a independence debate but.....

[weezer 316]

Noting to do with the EU. It was about its non-US profits, not just the EU.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20197710

Apple are a horrid company full stop.

But what odds people boycotting these companies? Hell will freeze over before people stop using Ebay and iPhones.

[changilass]

You can't blame the US companies for saving money legally.

The blame has to lie with the system that allows it to happen.

[rob murray]

Apple the worlds richest company payed less than 2% tax in the UK by using complex systems that allows them to pass money through offshore havens.

It made more than £23 BILLION this year not including the USA, and they are not the only ones at it Amazon,Facebook and Ebay avoided paying more than 850 MILLION IN corporation tax.

This might be legall!!!! but when we are being told that we ALL must pay our fair share in these difficult times is this correct.

Yes it obviously is legal, as the companies you refer to can employ financial specialists so as to lower ( not avoid ) taxtaion payments, take a scale down and rich inidividuals do the same because they can employ tax specialists to do the same, take it lower and small businesses and the self employed can make some tax savings, take it lower and if you work for a living / paye then your screwed taxed at source, as are the sick and unemployed. We are not all equally in the current financial mess as the above shows, perhaps 99% of the working population didnt create it, yet we are all in it together....laughable !

[changilass]

We will never all be equal financially, why should be be? Some work harder than others, some take more risks, others sit on their bums doing nowt.

Yes those with the most get the most benefit, but they also have the most to lose if it all goes tits up.

The reason we saved the banks was so we could all get paid and we didn't go into total meltdown. We have had a bad enough recession as it is, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

[rob murray]

We will never all be equal financially, why should be be? Some work harder than others, some take more risks, others sit on their bums doing nowt.

Yes those with the most get the most benefit, but they also have the most to lose if it all goes tits up.

The reason we saved the banks was so we could all get paid and we didn't go into total meltdown. We have had a bad enough recession as it is, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

Good points, who are the "we" who saved the banks, was it you...it wasnt me !

[Alrock]

....Yes those with the most get the most benefit, but they also have the most to lose if it all goes tits up......

Depends on your definition of "most to lose"....
Is losing a £10,000,000 mansion to go live in a £1,000,000 mansion losing more than losing a £100,000 home to go live on the streets as homeless?
Yes, the first example might be £9,000,000 down compared to the second examples £100,000 down but at least the first example still has a roof over his head...

(Please don't criticise my figures, I just made them up for demonstration purposes, just trying to make the point that just because you have more doesn't necessarily mean that you have more to lose)

[rob murray]

We will never all be equal financially, why should be be? Some work harder than others, some take more risks, others sit on their bums doing nowt.

Yes those with the most get the most benefit, but they also have the most to lose if it all goes tits up.

The reason we saved the banks was so we could all get paid and we didn't go into total meltdown. We have had a bad enough recession as it is, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

Well, generally speaking those with the most, unless they are badly advised, dont go or get in or near a position of being as you put it "tits up",their finances are spread, eggs not in one basket etc etc as for "others sit on their bums doing nowt"...says it all doesnt it ! end off !

[Phill]

Noting to do with the EU. It was about its non-US profits, not just the EU.

It read to me as though the OP was referring to UK tax systems (i.e. part of the EU) allowing avoidance of tax.

Apple the worlds richest company payed less than 2% tax in the UK by using complex systems that allows them to pass money through offshore havens.

Your article link: "Apple channels much of its business in Europe through a subsidiary in the Republic of Ireland, which has lower corporation tax than Britain."
Using EU rules & regulations Apple (and others) use Ireland, Luxemburg and other member states to lower their tax risk. All quite legal and above board, and we can't blame CMD or Salmond for that.

Same for the 'rich' they too can channel their finances through whichever member state gives them best value, it's like shopping for bargains or using a comparison site.

[weezer 316]

Yes it obviously is legal, as the companies you refer to can employ financial specialists so as to lower ( not avoid ) taxtaion payments, take a scale down and rich inidividuals do the same because they can employ tax specialists to do the same, take it lower and small businesses and the self employed can make some tax savings, take it lower and if you work for a living / paye then your screwed taxed at source, as are the sick and unemployed. We are not all equally in the current financial mess as the above shows, perhaps 99% of the working population didnt create it, yet we are all in it together....laughable !

Rob your point is laughable. The govt is not in deficit because of the banks or Apple are they? They ran a deficit for the past 12 years quite willingly and spent it on public services. Please do explain quite how Apple paying 2% tax is responsible for that please?