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This article was first published 10 years ago

How Apple, Amazon, Google dodge taxes

Last updated on: May 24, 2013 07:19 IST

Image: An employee answers phone calls at the switchboard of the Google office.
Photographs: Christian Hartmann/Reuters Anders Melin in Brussels


European leaders meet on Wednesday to discuss tax policy and specifically their concerns over how a number of high-profile international companies have managed to pay next to no tax on their vast sales revenue generated in Europe.

Click NEXT to know how five global giants managed to dodge tax...

Tags: Europe , Amazon

How Apple, Amazon, Google dodge taxes

Image: Apple CEO Tim Cook (C), CFO Peter Oppenheimer (L) and Apple Head of tax operations Philip Bullock.
Photographs: Jason Reed/Reuters

Apple Inc.

An investigation by the US Senate showed this week that the maker of iPads and iPhones had paid just 2 per cent tax on income of $74 billion over the past three years, largely by exploiting an unusual loophole in Ireland's tax code.

Ireland has said it is not to blame, and Apple has defended its practices, which are legal. But the Senate report has added to the furore surrounding tax avoidance by major companies.

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Tags: Senate , Ireland , Apple , US , Amazon

How Apple, Amazon, Google dodge taxes


Photographs: Reuters

Google Inc.

Despite generating $18 billion of revenue in Britain from 2006 to 2011, the Internet search giant paid only $16 million in taxes to British authorities.

Google says it does not have a sales presence in Britain and therefore cannot be considered resident for tax purposes, lowering its obligations.

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How Apple, Amazon, Google dodge taxes

Image: A video grab image shows Google's vice president for northern and central Europe, Matt Brittin, addressing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in London.
Photographs: Reuters

An investigation by Reuters has shown that some of the 1,300 people employed by Google UK Ltd are engaged in sales-type work or have titles that suggest involvement in sales and marketing activities, but Google says it hires people with a sales background even if they are not directly involved in selling.

The British parliament has called Google executives before a hearing to try to understand more about its activities.

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How Apple, Amazon, Google dodge taxes

Image: A customer with a cup of coffee leaves the new Starbucks store.
Photographs: Juan Carlos/Reuters

Starbucks Corp.

Starbucks came under criticism last year after Reuters revealed that the coffee chain paid only 8.6 million pounds ($13 million) in taxes on 3.1 billion pounds of revenues since 2000.

Starbucks has said it is down to where the company books its profits.

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How Apple, Amazon, Google dodge taxes

Image: Starbucks coffee mugs are seen on display during the launch of the first Starbucks store in New Delhi.
Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Accounts filed for its British, German and French units, which make up 90 per cent of European revenues, show a loss of $60 million in 2011, hence very little tax.

However, Starbucks told investors that its European business were actually profitable, making $40 million in 2011. The gap is all down to clever tax planning and exploiting loopholes.

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How Apple, Amazon, Google dodge taxes

Image: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Photographs: Gus Ruelas/Reuters

Amazon.com Inc.

The Internet retail company runs the bulk of its European operations out of Luxembourg, allowing it to minimise the amount of tax it has to be pay on revenue generated in other European countries.

But the tax avoidance mechanism has also allowed Amazon to dramatically cut its US tax bill, an investigation by Reuters has shown, with the company paying a tax rate of around 5.3 per cent over the past 5 years.

The US tax authorities have asked Amazon to pay back taxes totalling $1.5 billion, a demand that the company has said it will "vigorously contest".

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Tags: Amazon , US , com , Reuters , European

How Apple, Amazon, Google dodge taxes

Image: A pedestrian passes a Vodafone store on Oxford Street in central London.
Photographs: Kevin Coombs/Reuters

Vodafone Group Plc

The world's largest mobile phone operator has managed to gradually reduce the amount of tax it pays in Britain over the past decade by using legal tax avoidance schemes, including registering profit in other jurisdictions, such as Luxembourg.

A Reuters examination of statutory filings by Vodafone across Europe over the past 16 years shows that the British taxman has frequently gone empty handed, losing out on perhaps has much as 1 billion pounds in revenue.

Source: REUTERS
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