VisualSeed

Get 'em while they're hot!

mcfrazieriv said:

Well you've got bankrupt countries forcing the EU to dolly out loans from the pockets of the more prosperous ones which creates a massive void and need to collect due taxes. I'm sure that 21 billion dollars looks quite tasty to these nations.

When you are looking for tax revenue from a company that makes high priced "luxury" consumer electronics as a means to remedy the financial situations in these bankrupt countries, you have a problem. Would Italy's share of Apple's prospective unpaid taxes solve their problems or do they need Germany's and France's share too? Maybe Italy and Greece would do better if their citizens bought cheaper phones and invested more in their healthcare and retirement. 

ericthehalfbee said:

Besides thieves who download music/movies, who else uses BT?

Kanye West

Gymkhana said:

Love how all the fanboys and multinational corporation supporters show up to defend tax cheating.  Apple uses "the commons" to conduct their trade, and to draw billions in profits.  They have the obligation to help fund the infrastructure and tax base that they use.  If you still say no, then let's force Apple to build their own electrical grids, water supplies, shipping defense military, etc.  Let Apple become their own legal world entity, a nation unto their own, and we'll see how successful they can be.  Dimwits, freeloaders, tax cheats.

And how do we know that you are not a shill for the EC as part of a much larger campaign to change the public's perception of Apple and shame them into a settlement where they have done no wrong? Everyone bitches about "fair share" but taxes are not paid based on what's fair. They are paid according to law. While the EC alleges that Ireland broke EU law, Ireland insists that Apple has complied with its tax laws as they have for more than three decades. 

anantksundaram said:

sog35 said:

Apple will not pay anything close to $1 billion.

This will go to appeal and be stuck for at least 3 years.
Then the US government will pass a law to bring back the cash to the USA.
There will be no cash in the EU for them to collect.

Eventually they will settle for about $200 million.

Or nothing at all. The US government is taking this issue seriously with the EU, and this could end up becoming a major Trans-Atlantic spat. Lots of US companies are involved, not just Apple. This is far, far bigger than just one company.

Correct. This is more like sour grapes between the EU and Ireland because Ireland has become an advantageous business nexus for international companies. While Apple is simply the high profile example and may have benefited from some very custom tailored tax laws this still affects thousands of US businesses that use Ireland as their EU headquarters. In the US this is very similar to states that give tax breaks and other incentives for companies to relocate to their states. Often it is the poorer states that receive the most federal tax subsidies that offer the best breaks. 
The EU wants to establish a system of fairness among its member nations but I believe this is going too far. The US could very easily decide to renegotiate its tax treaties and penalize the EU for this.