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Triana

(22,666 posts)
Fri Mar 14, 2014, 12:59 PM Mar 2014

Corporate America is Hiding Two Trillion Dollars in Profit From the IRS

The largest American multinational companies parked an additional $206 billion of profits in offshore accounts last year, according to Bloomberg, bringing the total amount of profits stashed where U.S. tax officials can’t touch them up to about two trillion dollars.

The 307 companies that Bloomberg examined now hold a combined $1.95 trillion offshore, allowing them to avoid paying U.S. taxes on those earnings. The majority of the total is concentrated in just a few corporate hands. The largest 22 of those companies hold more offshore than the other 285 combined.

General Electric leads the pack, with $110 billion held offshore. Tech companies like Microsoft ($76.4 billion), Apple ($54.4 billion), IBM ($52.3 billion), and Google ($38.9 billion) also dominate, along with drug companies like Pfizer ($69 billion) and Merck ($57.1). The tech giants have drastically accelerated their offshore holdings in recent years, with Microsoft and Google more than doubling and Apple more than quadrupling offshore profit holdings from 2010 to 2013.

This propensity for profit-stashing among tech companies brought scrutiny from Congress last year, with committee reports and a Senate hearing where Apple CEO Tim Cook was called on to justify his firm’s tax behavior. That scrutiny exposed the complexities of how Apple pulls off its tax avoidance scheme through a set of Ireland-based subsidiary companies, but it also underscored that everything these companies are doing is legal. The current international corporate tax system encourages countries like Ireland, Luxembourg, and others to race each other to the bottom of the business tax rate barrel.


THE REST:

http://www.nationofchange.org/corporate-america-hiding-2-trillion-profit-irs-1394807072
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Corporate America is Hiding Two Trillion Dollars in Profit From the IRS (Original Post) Triana Mar 2014 OP
Unfortunately my thoughts aren't fit to print. n/t Catherina Mar 2014 #1
Mmmultinationals strike again! nt adirondacker Mar 2014 #2
And the IRS focuses most of their resources on low income families Iwasthere Mar 2014 #3
our congress and president are ok with this so where's the problem? nt msongs Mar 2014 #4
K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations! Enthusiast Mar 2014 #5
k&r Starry Messenger Mar 2014 #6
Corporations are people, my friend. Octafish Mar 2014 #7
Bring it back and tax it. Octafish Mar 2014 #8

Iwasthere

(3,168 posts)
3. And the IRS focuses most of their resources on low income families
Fri Mar 14, 2014, 02:23 PM
Mar 2014

For the purpose of Fear! The uber rich haven't the same fear. THEY can hide their $$$$$$$$$$$$ (in plain sight!)

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
8. Bring it back and tax it.
Sat Mar 15, 2014, 04:36 PM
Mar 2014

Tax it at the 50-percent pre-Trickle Down rate; and add a penalty for offshoring of 50-percent.

Then, they won't do it anymore.

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