Quote from: Lawrence on November 14, 2012, 07:13:34 PM

Quote from: whiteswan on November 14, 2012, 04:19:44 PM

Quote from: Lawrence on November 14, 2012, 04:11:29 PM
I'm anti apple because they give me gout, really they do, haven't been able to enjoy one for years now!

Are you sure it's the apples and not the malt 

Never touches my lips Caz 

Straight down then. 

Quote from: whiteswan on November 14, 2012, 07:27:57 PM

Quote from: Lawrence on November 14, 2012, 07:13:34 PM

Quote from: whiteswan on November 14, 2012, 04:19:44 PM

Quote from: Lawrence on November 14, 2012, 04:11:29 PM
I'm anti apple because they give me gout, really they do, haven't been able to enjoy one for years now!

Are you sure it's the apples and not the malt 

Never touches my lips Caz 

Straight down then. 

Quote from: Zwilnik on November 13, 2012, 05:32:38 PM

If you think any company in the UK is paying full corporation tax because they're 'nice' it's usually because they're either poorly managed or too small to afford the clever accountants.

Not so. There are plenty of companies who pay the full rates because they like to be seen to do the 'right thing' and there are companies who do so because they were pulled over the coals and shamed in to it.

The amount of avoiding that Apple does is insidious and a good enough reason for many to dislike them.

H.

Quote from: H on November 14, 2012, 10:20:03 PM

Quote from: Zwilnik on November 13, 2012, 05:32:38 PM

If you think any company in the UK is paying full corporation tax because they're 'nice' it's usually because they're either poorly managed or too small to afford the clever accountants.

Not so. There are plenty of companies who pay the full rates because they like to be seen to do the 'right thing' and there are companies who do so because they were pulled over the coals and shamed in to it.

The amount of avoiding that Apple does is insidious and a good enough reason for many to dislike them.

H.

I can't think of any international companies that do, any specific ones? Samsung, BMW etc don't pay any UK tax this year thanks to being sponsors of the Olympic tax dodge, which makes them exempt from all UK taxes effectively.

In Apple's case they don't sell a whole lot in the UK, the only UK outlets are the Apple Retail stores, which are profitable compared to other retail stores, but that's retail still, so not huge margins. Everything else is online, the same as all the other tech companies and sold through Luxembourg, so all the tax is paid there (including VAT). In the meantime, Apple's putting millions into the UK directly by enabling UK developers to make a really good living developing and selling apps on the App Store (also Luxembourg based).

If the managing director of a big company isn't making sure they're paying as little tax legally as they'd meant to, then he/she isn't doing a very good job and deserves to be fired. Being a responsible company isn't about being sloppy with money, it's about putting it to good use in the community. A responsible government shouldn't leave big tax loopholes and then berate companies for using them.