Apple, Google, Microsoft Avoid Taxes By Keeping Billions In Profits Offshore(huffingtonpost.com)
huffingtonpost.com
Apple, Google, Microsoft Avoid Taxes By Keeping Billions In Profits Offshore
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/20/microsoft-taxes-profits-offshore_n_1901398.html
3 comments
Taxes don't have to be this complicated and loophole filled. Almost any scheme you can think of would be better. A flat tax would be fine and save us so much grief.
Since you likely don't mean a true flat rate tax (do you allow deductions and exemptions? is payroll tax factored in? and a flat tax ignores some fixed lower costs, like food, housing, and heat), then I don't see a flat tax as being any more simpler or less grief-ful than, say, a mildly progressive tax.
As for "don't have to be this complicated", I completely agree. Where I live now, the government does your taxes for you, sends you the paperwork, which you can verify, fix if incorrect, sign, and send in.
I think this doesn't happen in the US because 1) companies make money with having loopholes, so they push for loopholes, 2) politicians fund their campaigns with said money, 3) tax preparation companies would lose money, so they would also be against this scheme, and 4) various people are morally opposed to both a well-run government and taxes, so would rather throw the baby out with the bathwater than work on an improved system.
As for "don't have to be this complicated", I completely agree. Where I live now, the government does your taxes for you, sends you the paperwork, which you can verify, fix if incorrect, sign, and send in.
I think this doesn't happen in the US because 1) companies make money with having loopholes, so they push for loopholes, 2) politicians fund their campaigns with said money, 3) tax preparation companies would lose money, so they would also be against this scheme, and 4) various people are morally opposed to both a well-run government and taxes, so would rather throw the baby out with the bathwater than work on an improved system.
I'm not a anarchist, but I am a libertarian of sorts, so I also want small government, limited social engineering, and limited central planning. I don't care if it is flat or mildly progressive if it's simple to implement. There certainly are reasons others want to keep things status quo, as you pointed out. There is just so much wasted energy around taxes it drives me crazy.
Microsoft has clearly stated that the Tax laws are outdated and needs to be improved. Till, then major corporations will keep taking advantage of its loophole.
Another reason for govt to reduce tax and bring all the money into the country