Conversation

Oh dear



https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/09/10/apple-ireland-taxes



@daringfireball@mastodon.social whether Ireland wants the money or not is irrelevant. The issue is lots of companies have been running a con within the EU for decades, using Ireland as their accomplice to evade tax everywhere else. Apple is just the biggest offender, so they start with them.

Basically, apple Spain, apple France, etc etc have been declaring zero profits for years. Even if they sell literal billions in the EU every year. And that do so having every single nation level subsidiary have apple Ireland as a supplier, so they "purchase" from them stuff for the same value they are getting as profits, so their profits are zero in the entire EU but in Ireland, where their profits are astronomical, and also barely taxed.

So basically apple sells things and instead of pay their taxes, they buy stuff from themselves in Ireland and just evade taxes. They are just criminals, using the EU common market to commit their crimes.

The fact that Ireland profits or not from enabling a crime, honestly, couldn't matter less. It's about time the EU stops the con. I just wish they could criminally charge the CEO of every company that is involved in this kind of fraud and jail them as it would happen if they were EU nationals committing tax evasion in the billions, as they do.

The fact you frame this as the EU being hostile to successful companies says a lot about you. I guess you are ok with tax evasion. But as an EU citizen, I'm glad they are finally acting against these criminals who are stealing our money.