U.S. Senator 'livid' about Apple's U.S. tax dealings - Page 3

The way I read his comments, he's "livid" about the sorry state of the US corporate tax structure pushing companies to keep their money oversees and pay foreign taxes instead of taking that money back to the US and pay US taxes.  I didn't take it that he was blaming Apple, per se.

And for anyone who thinks Apple is dodging taxes somehow, they're not.  They're paying taxes, just not US taxes.  If our corporate tax rates weren't so crazy-high, then maybe they would keep more of that money here and pay US taxes.  They might even invest in more infrastructure here, and hire more people here, which would generate more income tax as well.  That's how LOWER taxes can INCREASE revenue when taxes are too high, especially in this case.  There's a sweet-spot for maximizing tax revenue, and we're clearly well above it.

Funny how Colburn rants about this. If it Apple were in Oklahoma, no doubt he would be vewy vewy quiet. But since Apple is in California, he sqawks like a mashed hen. For someone who hates taxes he sure wants everyone else to pay them!

I'm not in favor of any company avoiding taxes, but if instead of Apple it were some oil company, Coburn wouldn't say peep.  

Oh wait, oil companies get subsidies, and Coburn is cool with that.  What a dick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mdriftmeyer 

Liberty4All Libertarian wannabe doesn't grasp the Constitution, Madison, Jefferson, Halmilton and the rest intent, who compromised and ratified the US Constitution. If he reads the unabridged Library of America Debates on the US Constitution he'd stop posting junk about unconstitutionality of the Fed, Central Bank, etc. Most importantly, if he can't grasp the US Constitution is a Mutable Document of Laws through it's extension via Amendments then they truly are denser than lead.

Right on.  The views of most libertarians boil down to "I want my way of life without having to pay for it!"  They use infrastructure, mail, electricity, safe food and water, the internet, all while whining about having to pay the very taxes that maintain or funded the development of these fundamentals of modern civilization.  I'll grant that there are some honest libertarians who want to go back to the 18th century way of living, but they're not easy to find.

Coburn is a bumbling idiot. It wouldn't matter if it were about Apple or any other company, he's just a babbling fool. He even comes from an insignificant state.

Ha.  He's probably upset because Apple did not slip him enough money for his campaign.  The 1% and corporations sidestep huge amounts of taxes.  The Senator himself probably pays very little taxes himself.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleInsider 

When asked about Apple's supposed "sidestepping" of U.S. tax laws, Senator Tom Colburn (R-Okla.) said that he was "livid about that" and used the company as an example of why the country needs tax reform.

During a Tuesday interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Sen. Coburn aired his feelings regarding Apple's use of offshore holdings to avoid paying high tax rates in countries like the U.S. and England, reports Business Insider.

Colburn, Coburn.  Do you even read the articles after you write them?  Your headline and lead paragraph is spelling the name of a relatively prominent US Senator incorrectly, and your story spells it two different ways, one of which is correct.

You can be as hard on a multinational corporation as you want to. Let's be a little bit honest here.

1) We're one of the few companies that taxes corporations on what they make internationally.

2) A company is just a foreign post office box away from avoiding you altogether except for domestic operations. Go lenient on them.

3) Corporations, people, capital, etc. do not exist for the government's behalf. The government exists and should exist on their behalf.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junkyard Dawg 

Right on.  The views of most libertarians boil down to "I want my way of life without having to pay for it!"  They use infrastructure, mail, electricity, safe food and water, the internet, all while whining about having to pay the very taxes that maintain or funded the development of these fundamentals of modern civilization.  I'll grant that there are some honest libertarians who want to go back to the 18th century way of living, but they're not easy to find.

Not at all. Most libertarians I know think government goes way beyond its essential functions. So what I and other libertarian to libertarian-leaning people here is this:

You need cholesterol to live. Why don't you support eating a Big Mac every day?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junkyard Dawg 

Right on.  The views of most libertarians boil down to "I want my way of life without having to pay for it!"  They use infrastructure, mail, electricity, safe food and water, the internet, all while whining about having to pay the very taxes that maintain or funded the development of these fundamentals of modern civilization.  I'll grant that there are some honest libertarians who want to go back to the 18th century way of living, but they're not easy to find.

Nonsense. You're painting libertarians with a broad brush that just isn't true for all (or even a majority).

The average libertarian simply believes that the government has gotten too big and is too intrusive into peoples' lives. They advocate reduction in the size and role of government. The problem with your statement is that libertarians range from those who advocate a 5-10% reduction in government to the extreme of people who think government should be completely abolished - and everything in between.

Allow me to go on a tangent and tell you I once cosined a loan for a friend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilgto64 

In other news Apple is outraged by the taxes paid by US Senators. 

 

"The Debt Bomb?" So has the government secretly been funding Apple's Bank account? is that why Apple is flush with cash and the Government is broke? 

 

I've got an idea - let's penalize a very successful company for doing so by complying with the very laws that you have put into effect and then point fingers at that company and insist that it is their fault. 

 

Agreed, blaming companies for saving money has got to be the dumbest logic ever.  I agree though that tax reform is very badly needed, including giving better local tax incentives for businesses to keep jobs in the US.

I just discovered something funny about Coburn's stance. Even funnier than the fact that he mis-stated Apple's actual tax payments by a factor of three.

Coburn is in favor of a tax repatriation holiday. So while he's ranting about the evil Apple making money overseas and not paying taxes on it, it's OK with him for companies to bring all their money back to the US and be given a waiver from US tax rules when they do so.

I'm not going to take a position on a tax holiday for repatriation, but Coburn's position is clearly hypocritical.

ETA:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/05/02/sen-tom-coburn-is-livid-over-apples-tax-loopholes/?iid=SF_F_LN

Quote:

Originally Posted by JollyPaul 

 

Allow me to go on a tangent and tell you I once cosined a loan for a friend.

Gee, I hadn't heard that angle before.