How Apple Minimizes its Corporate Tax Burden - Page 3

**buffalo** · #31 Apr 30, '12, 6:46 pm

Corporations are paper entities and shouldn't even be taxed.

Scott_Lafrance · #32 Apr 30, '12, 6:47 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by buffalo

Corporations are paper entities and shouldn't even be taxed.

The government is a paper entity and shouldn't be taxing anyone.

EmperorNapoleon · #33 Apr 30, '12, 6:49 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by buffalo

Corporations are paper entities and shouldn't even be taxed.

Not anymore. They're people now according the Supreme Court and people can and should be taxed.

Brendan · #34 Apr 30, '12, 8:03 pm

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Originally Posted by Scott_Lafrance

Warren Buffet? Apparently he gripes and complains alot that he doesn't pay enough taxes (and yet maintains an army of accountants and tax attorneys......for what reason?).

Neither him nor Obama. The IRS has an account for people who would like to contribute more taxes. Very few people use it.
http://www.fms.treas.gov/faq/moretopics_gifts.html

You can even specify how this should be used ( health care, debt reduction, military, education)

But even Pres Obama specifically decided not to personally pay more in taxes.
http://www.sodahead.com/united-state...stion-2590255/

So anyone who feels that they are being under taxed has an option to pay more if they wish. It seems that even those who want higher taxes are not willing to pay for it themselves.

gamewell45 · #35 Apr 30, '12, 8:18 pm

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Originally Posted by ComputerGeek25

So you can't give us a specific number that Apple should be taxed, other than it should pay something greater than it does?

You are correct; that is as specific as I can get.

**buffalo** · #36 May 1, '12, 6:52 am

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Originally Posted by gamewell45

I agree that apple has an obligation to its customers, employees and shareholders, but again, paying their fair share is a cost of doing business.

How can a non living entity pay its fair share?

**buffalo** · #37 May 1, '12, 6:53 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmperorNapoleon

Not anymore. They're people now according the Supreme Court and people can and should be taxed.

They are? What sex are they?

**buffalo** · #38 May 1, '12, 6:53 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott_Lafrance

The government is a paper entity and shouldn't be taxing anyone.

I thought the government was the people.

ComputerGeek25 · #39 May 1, '12, 6:56 am

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Originally Posted by EmperorNapoleon

Lower them any further and we'll be paying companies to stay.

I think you're missing the point. The reason they are off shoring money is to avoid taxes in the first place. This could have been avoided if we did away with all loopholes and deductions and had a standard/fair corporate tax rate in the first place.

As it stand now, you're incenting people and corps to take advantage of any loop holes and deductions. As another poster indicated, I don't know of anyone who wants to increase their tax burden - so they will legally use any and all means to lower it.

Scott_Lafrance · #40 May 1, '12, 7:13 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by buffalo

I thought the government was the people.

Go to a national park, set up camp, and hunt there. When the park ranger puts you under arrest, tell them that. See how far you get.

stevegravy · #41 May 1, '12, 10:08 am

I have but one thing to add for consideration. Congress lied to us to start the bloody tax in the first place. It was unconstitutional until 1913. It was sold to the under-educated by the progressives with the appeal to class warfare it was only going to affect the rich and pay off our war debts. Now the lie is almost 100 years old guess how bad the lie will be 100 years from now. If the country hasn’t fallen apart by then.
As an American taxpayer it is your solemn duty to keep as much money from the IRS as you LEGALLY can. You cannot lie to them that is breaking a commandment but if there is a gray area of question if a deduction is proper then it is. It is your money use it as you need to.

curlycool89 · #42 May 1, '12, 10:27 am

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Originally Posted by EmperorNapoleon

Not anymore. They're people now according the Supreme Court and people can and should be taxed.

That is true; it's called a legal fiction.

Corporations are "people" and have some similar rights as people (Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the ability to own private property). If they weren't "people", then they wouldn't have these rights because the Constitution only endows these rights on people.

Now they could be granted similar rights but they would not be guaranteed and could be withdrawn, unlike people who's rights cannot be (reasonably? I'm not a constitutional scholar, but I know in Canada we have "reasonably" in ours) taken away.

EmperorNapoleon · #43 May 2, '12, 3:38 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ComputerGeek25

I think you're missing the point. The reason they are off shoring money is to avoid taxes in the first place. This could have been avoided if we did away with all loopholes and deductions and had a standard/fair corporate tax rate in the first place.

I'm not missing the point at all. If the premise is that high tax rates are driving companies oversees then we'd have to pay them to stay because, for the vast majority, the effective tax rate is 0.

Quote:

Originally Posted by buffalo

What sex are they?

The Citzens United decision wasn't that specific.

Scott_Lafrance · #44 May 2, '12, 6:35 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmperorNapoleon

I'm not missing the point at all. If the premise is that high tax rates are driving companies oversees then we'd have to pay them to stay because, for the vast majority, the effective tax rate is 0.

The Citzens United decision wasn't that specific.

The crux of the Citizens United decision regarding corporations being regarded as "persons" is the right to own property. One of the key tenets of the capacity of ownership is identity of the owner. Corporations are specific that way. If someone needs to know who owns something and the answer is XYZ Corporation, you can go to XYZ corporation, find the stockholders and their number of shares, and know exactly who owns it and how much of a controlling share they have of it. That is why the "government" can't own anything. The "government" is an idea on paper. There is no tangible way to express how the government owns anything and how the rights of inheritance are determined.

SamH · #45 May 3, '12, 7:09 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmperorNapoleon

Not anymore. They're people now according the Supreme Court and people can and should be taxed.

Actually the Court made no such ruling.

In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission the court held that the First Amendment must protect the free speech of individuals and that the First Amendment does not tolerate prohibitions of speech based on the identity of the speaker. Because corporations are groups of individuals, the corporation speaking for the group of individuals must receive the same free speech privileges as individual citizens.