Political action group U.S. Uncut announced this week that it plans to stage a nationwide protest of Apple, Inc. June 18th, accusing the corporation of tax-dodging in the face of staggering debt and crushing austerity measures. ‘iLove Apple but iHate the Tax Cheat’ is Uncut’s slogan in this crusade against Apple.
‘I can sync my iPhone to my MacBook. Why can’t I sync it to my Values?’
Apple is lobbying congress for a “Tax Holiday” so they can dodge $4 billion in taxes, Uncut states on its website. ‘Do we want $4 billion for Apple OR salaries for 90,000 teachers?’
The activists hope to persuade Apple to abandon the industry-wide practice of lobbying Congress for tax breaks in a time of worldwide economic crisis. They also hope to bring an end to Congressional budget cuts in the face of tax holidays for the alleged corporate cheats.
‘Apple plays huge games with their taxes. By disguising profits in the US as foreign earnings in low tax countries, Apple dodges billions of dollars of taxes they should be paying.’
‘Over the last three years, Apple actually did pay some US corporate income taxes. Unlike General Electric or Pfizer or Verizon, who pay zero taxes, Apple is not a total tax sleaze.’
‘But they’re hiding something. In fact, they’re hiding a whole lot. Despite all the sales of iPads, iPhones, iTunes, iPods and iBooks in the United States, Apple says that just 13.9% of its profits were earned in the US last year. Really? We call bullshit. Apple: Leave the Tax Cheaters Coalition!’
‘Apple is a leader of a Tax Cheaters Lobbying Group that is lobbying Congress to give tax dodgers a tax holiday. They call themselves the “Win America Campaign,” but America will lose $80 billion if they get their way.’
‘In addition to Apple, the coalition includes other technology companies like Google, Oracle, Cisco, Microsoft and Adobe, drug giant Pfizer, and utility leaders including Duke Energy. Members of the coalition have squirreled away more than $1 trillion offshore, and want special treatment for it. When they bring this money back to the US, they want to pay just 5.25% rather than the 35% tax that is legally due when foreign earnings are brought back to the US. In total, this corporate tax bonanza could cost the US Treasury $80 billion or more. Apple’s cut of the tax dodgers’ feast would be nearly $4 billion.’