The seven craziest findings in the US investigation of Apple’s tax avoidance practices

[Savannahmann]

14. I've mentioned before but it applies here.

Often I've said that corporations use every single tax loophole they can find, and with the lawyers, accountants, and former IRS agents on the payroll, they find every one there is. Apple is one of the most effective, but all of the rich individuals, and corporations, do the same thing to some extent. The reason they get away with it is simple. They have people who are able to argue the law, and win because those loopholes exist.

We the regular people, do not get to take advantage of those loopholes. If Apple is audited, it won't take place in the office of the auditor, it will be in a large conference room, filled with lawyers, accountants, and former IRS agents who will argue every single deduction. If we are audited, we show up with a shoe-box full of receipts praying we don't get screwed too badly.

With Liberty and Justice for all (Who can afford it). The legal system is completely screwed. First, we write laws so convoluted that nobody knows what they mean, leaving them up for interpretation by the lawyers, and the courts. What does this really mean is the question that every lawyer for the corporations will ask, and then explain to the advantage of their clients. We regular people don't stand a chance, because we can't afford an army of lawyers and tax experts to argue our returns.

This is just an example of the tax laws. Now, Apple will be audited, and the tricks they're using will be all legal, even if one or two aren't the fines will be a pittance and appealed for years. Apple will pay the least amount of tax they can, and we will rail and gnash our teeth and bemoan fucking corporations. But our votes put people in office who wrote those laws. Our votes enabled the system we currently have, which is set up to benefit the rich. We cheer when one of the betrayers we have elected says that they're going to close the loopholes. But somewhere in the thousands of pages of legal language, there are two loopholes for every one that is closed.

This is an example of the inequities of the system, one we help continue by voting for the same people who put this crap in place time and time again. If you're angry about it, look in the mirror, and ask yourself this. The folks I voted for, what did they do about this? Even if they did take the position in opposition to this, they did so halfheartedly because they want those campaign donations more than they want equality and justice.