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0 pointsrusk7y ago0 comments

I kind of felt the same about the Apple Tax / Irish Revenue Commissioners thing.

On looking into the judgement however it appeared as though both parties actively sought to subvert competition rules under a disingenuous "veil of ignorance". Warning shots had been fired earlier but the practices continued hence the fine.

I haven't read into the details of this judgement yet but you may well find similar reasoning therein.

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oliwarner7y ago

That's not a fine against Apple, it's a demand that Ireland corrects past behaviour that has been deemed state aid.

While it's certainly Apple's prerogative to play EU states off against each other to get the best deal, it should have been blindingly obvious that what it was getting from Ireland would be, and should be reversed.

ruskOP7y ago

The demand was that Apple pay €13B in back taxes.

> it should have been blindingly obvious

and yet, it took a deep-dive investigation by the commission with a team of specialists to untangle it.

oliwarner7y ago

The EU's demand was that Ireland collect that tax from Apple.

And blindingly obvious to Apple, the benefactor.

When somebody says, "Hey come and do your stuff here, we'll only charge you 0.005% corp tax!" you should expect that their wider financial governing body (who is losing out severely because of a deal like that) might have something to say about it.

1 more reply

SparklingCotton7y ago

> While it's certainly Apple's prerogative to play EU states off against each other to get the best deal

It certainly IS NOT. When Apple "get's a deal" it is by definition market manipulation. You're not supposed to "get a deal" regarding taxation!

The same taxation rules must apply to every company or else there is illegal subsidy. The whole idea around "making a deal" on tax is horrendous anti-capitalist BS.

It's exactly the same as "making a deal" wrt the law in a corrupt country. A corporation "making a deal" by having government look away when they do something illegal, or getting their competitors fined on dubious charges.

Apple, Google, Microsoft, and basically all of those companies ARE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH for not refusing do to business with the market-corrupting Irish Republic.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

oliwarner7y ago

That's not a fine against Apple, it's a demand that Ireland corrects past behaviour that has been deemed state aid.

ruskOP7y ago

The demand was that Apple pay €13B in back taxes.

> it should have been blindingly obvious

and yet, it took a deep-dive investigation by the commission with a team of specialists to untangle it.

oliwarner7y ago

The EU's demand was that Ireland collect that tax from Apple.

And blindingly obvious to Apple, the benefactor.

1 more reply

SparklingCotton7y ago

> While it's certainly Apple's prerogative to play EU states off against each other to get the best deal

It certainly IS NOT. When Apple "get's a deal" it is by definition market manipulation. You're not supposed to "get a deal" regarding taxation!

The same taxation rules must apply to every company or else there is illegal subsidy. The whole idea around "making a deal" on tax is horrendous anti-capitalist BS.

Apple, Google, Microsoft, and basically all of those companies ARE THE SCUM OF THE EARTH for not refusing do to business with the market-corrupting Irish Republic.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse