If this is legal, the system is utterly broken

Stories about Microsoft's tax evasion are back thanks to Alan, who reminds his readers of the arrogance of the monopolist.

And as my partner at The Open Learning Centre just pointed out to me, it almost certainly means that they pay little or no tax whatsoever here in the UK - it all gets channelled through Ireland. So the public money that they steal receive for education etc, has zero tax recovery. I wonder if the National Audit Office would consider this good use of taxpayer’s money?

Alan links to this:

Microsoft, tax avoider

[...]

You couldn’t make it up. That’s 0.04% tax.

Corporate social irresponsibility in a parasitical state writ large, I suggest.

And it’s this sort of behaviour that finances Bill Gate’s philanthropy. I cannot tell you how angry that makes me.

Readers who are new to this are encouraged to glance over our past writings about the serious issue, which rarely receives the publicity it deserves from the press. Here are containers of many pointers:

• Number One Lobbyist Gets Tax Breaks, Government Deals, Innocent Children
• Is Novell's Pal Cooking the Books as Well? (Microsoft)
• Comes, Iowa, Suppression of Truth, Collusion and Tax Evasion
• Microsoft Influence on Ireland and the United Kingdom

It should be added (as shown within the stories above) that Microsoft is in hot water in India due to its tax-evading practices. Indian people should be furious, but very few are up in arms due to lack of awareness. ⬆

From the Campaign for Document Freedom