Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft Obeys Communism, Not Capitalism

Microsoft Values



Summary: Microsoft's tax evasion in the United States expands (robbing the American population), whereas Chinese rules that suppress the population are upheld

A READER OF OURS CONTRIBUTED a couple of articles [1, 2] about his/her nation (China) and how Microsoft engages with the Communist party to suppress the Chinese people. That's where we got the image seen above. Microsoft is obeying Chinese law but not obeying US law. According to the Seattle press, "Wash. gov approves smelter, server farm tax breaks" (meaning that Microsoft will be given even more tax breaks).



Gregoire said she'd spoken to Microsoft Corp. and other companies about their desire to build new server farms if the tax break were enacted, and predicted at least three of the facilities would be built soon.


Poor Microsoft. As a former Microsoft employee continues to stress, the company hoards money of very high proportions while avoiding tax.

I estimate that Microsoft has avoided B&O royalty tax on $149 billion in licensing revenue since 1997.


More here:

While we're still reviewing and clarifying changes to the latest house-passed bill, it appears that the honorable Democratic Representatives Tomiko Santos and Kessler pushed through adoption of a last minute amendment (pdf) striking the clauses that might otherwise have given Microsoft's tax dodge amnesty on an estimated $1.25 billion in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties.

You can see the amendments to SB 6143 here. The follow up amendment (pdf) by former Microsoft veteran Rep. Hunter directs the Department of Revenue to study the issue further, but does not forgive any tax debts, as his earlier bill seemed to....


Yes, Hunter does his duty to a former employer [1, 2, 3]. On the other side, Rep. Chase is actually serious about investigating the facts presented by Reifman.

Things are heating up in Olympia and Microsoft's Nevada Tax Dodge is now being actively presented for discussion within the Democratic caucus. We greatly appreciate Rep. Maralyn Chase's strong concerns for tax fairness.


Will Microsoft ever pay the tax it has been evading? With so much influence in the United States government it can get away with anything. In China it's a different story. "Brin drove Google to pull back in China," claims the Wall Street Journal.

"Ultimately I guess it is where your threshold of discomfort is," Mr. Brin says. "So we obviously as a company crossed that threshold of discomfort."


They claim that it's to do with ethics and this was actually triggered by an Internet Explorer attack [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. The chain reaction can easily be seen now that GoDaddy follows Google's footsteps. Here are some more items on the subject:

China condemns decision by Google to lift censorship

Google stops censoring China-based search services

Google Turns Up the China Burner, Microsoft Feels the Heat

Microsoft's Suport of Chinese Censorship: Smart Business, Poor Morals

Google (Nasdaq:GOOG), Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT) and China

Google does the right thing in China -- will Microsoft follow?

Google and China

Microsoft will not change China operations, official says

Microsoft and Apple Should Follow Google Out of China

Google China move puts pressure on Microsoft, Yahoo

Yahoo! is becoming just Microsoft's relic after the corporate hijack. Upon completing his proxy battles, "Icahn's Influence Fading From Yahoo's Board," says Nasdaq.com.

In any event, all companies depend on manufacturing in China, so Google's departure too will not be a complete one. As for Microsoft:

Google Exits China, But Microsoft is Staying

China Rules Hurt U.S. Companies as Google Exit Looms

Google's China Loss is Microsoft's Gain?

We're staying in China, says Microsoft, as free speech row with Google grows

"We're staying in China" means "we'll censor because of profit".

Microsoft has been accused of “enabling tyranny” and the subject was covered in:

Congress On China: Google Gets A Big Wet Kiss. Microsoft Is “Enabling Tyranny”

Congress Rebukes Microsoft's Chinese Censorship, Microsoft Fires Back

Microsoft criticized for stance in China following Google's shift

Congressman: In China, Microsoft is 'enabling tyranny' (yes, even Microsoft Nick quoted it)

Lawmaker Blasts Microsoft

Microsoft came under attack Wednesday from a House lawmaker for not following Google's lead in resisting China's demand for foreign firms to abide by the country's censorship rules and Internet restrictions.

During a hearing focused on Internet control in China before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Rep. Chris Smith, R-NJ, singled out Microsoft, which has said it will continue to operate in China and follow Chinese laws. Microsoft "needs to get with the program" and "join the side of human rights...rather than enabling tyranny," Smith said.


Here comes the propaganda machine:

The Ministry of Truth Limits Reporting on Google in China

Chinese Gov't Gives Press Orders On How To Report On Google's China Decision

The Trials of Being a Chinese Reporter

China accuses Google of being tool of the U.S. government

How China's internet generation broke the silence

Microsoft has its own propaganda machine, so Microsoft apologists and fans (some of whom indirectly paid by the company) mostly look at this with glee:

Microsoft response to Google maneuvers in China

Google Ends Internet Search Censorship in China (also in here)

Can Microsoft capitalize on Google's decision on China?

Google, China and Microsoft

Could Google-China Spat Help Microsoft Bing?

This hopefully shows the effect of Microsoft spinners. They just seem to think what Microsoft can gain from this, so it's not about the Chinese people. Nobody asks the right questions, excepting business morals and instead focusing on the competition between corporations, not the people of China versus their oppressor.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Attacks on Techrights Are Only Making Techrights Bigger and Even More Popular
A week ago they offered to settle with us
EPO Staff Can Go Listen to Richard Stallman Next Week in Munich (Technical University of Munich, Rudolf-Diesel Hörsaal (MW2001) on Campus Garching at 18:00)
"The talk is open to the public and attendance is free. Registration is not required."
At IBM, Relocation Means Layoffs (Downsizing)
Silent or 'invisible' layoffs?
Dystopian Trends in Technology Make Richard Stallman More Relevant Than Ever
It's good to see him attracting vast audiences
Richard Stallman (RMS) Announced His Talk Less Than 24 Hours Before It Took Place and Still Filled Up the Auditorium at Sapienza Università di Roma
Photos from yesterday evening [...] It looks like it was a very successful event
 
The DDoS Attacks by Microsoft's Scam Altman and Other Slop Charlatans and Frauds is Hurting the FSF, Delinking It From Copyleft Projects
This impacts a lot more than access to the licences
Microsoft Scanning Faces in Photos People Upload to Microsoft (Even Unconsciously), Slashdot Turns Report About It Into "Microsoft Sez" (Says)
Or "let's repeat the lies from a PR person/Microsoft's publicist"
[Teaser] Angel Aledo Lopez the Manipulator (Nepotism, Poll Rigging, and Other EPO Corruption)
We'll discuss this later today or tomorrow, based on internal EPO material
Epic Metaphor for End of IBM: "The IBM Demolition is Down to the Last Shards!"
Nothing lasts forever
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 14, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Proprietary and DRM Prisons Spiralling Down the Sinkhole? Not Just Yet.
Let's hope that more people will flee to GNU/Linux
The European Patent Office (EPO), the Second-Largest Institution in Europe, is Cracking Down on Recreational Activities
Without AMICALE activities, and as staff already says it's pressured to work more for less, how can the EPO recruit bright people?
Transparency: FSFE financial reports exclude speaker fees and expenses
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Many Developers Have Many Political Views, They'll Never Agree on Everything
It's an effort to divide and destroy, not build
Gemini Links 14/10/2025: An Opportunity to Consider GNU/Linux and Another Simple IRC Client
Links for the day
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT, LinuxSecurity, Google News, and the Serial Slopper Brian Fagioli
Nothing of merit here, just more slop
Links 14/10/2025: Lack of Trust in Slop and "Retirement Challenges"
Links for the day
Rhonda D'Vine, Gerfried Fuchs, Pronouns & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Central Staff Committee of the European Patent Office (EPO) Warns That EPO Management is Robbing or Manipulating Pension Funds Again
Faking "growth" is just about as bad as forgery
Probably a Lot Worse Than LLM Slop: GNOME Tying Itself to Divisive Politics, Even Where It's Clearly Not Relevant
Something has gone terribly wrong in GNOME
Links 14/10/2025: Microsoft OneDrive Scanning Faces in Photos (Without Asking First), "OpenAI Says It Will Move to Allow Smut"
Links for the day
They Generally Don't Like Scholars, as They're Less Compelled or Pressured to Repeat What Corporations and Oligarchs Say
People who loathe scholars have an agenda in mind that, unlike that of reasonable people, revolves around controlling people
Belated New Article About Last Thursday's Lecture by Richard Stallman in Helsinki, Finland
there are good reasons to pay with cash, not limited to privacy
Attacking Richard Stallman Has Become 'Career Suicide'
If you're going to viciously attack somebody, make sure your arguments are rock-solid
Microsoft's Failing XBox Business Has Turned Games Into Funerals
How does it feel to depend on Microsoft?
Yesterday's "Distinguished Lecture" by Richard Stallman Possibly Attended by Close to 1,000 People
The capacity of the place is about 900
Slop Poisons Everything
Imagine wanting to find what Torvalds has just said or what has just been released
Taking Software Freedom 'Mainstream'
interest in Software Freedom must have grown
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, October 13, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, October 13, 2025
Gemini Links 14/10/2025: Ada Lovelace Day, Sony CLIE PEG-TG50 Review, Why to Avoid Network Solutions
Links for the day
The EPO's War on Techrights Was a Massive Mistake
The EPO started the SLAPPs after we had published a few hundreds of articles; we've since then published close to 6,000 because the attacks on us emboldened insiders to help us
General-Purpose Computers to Become Growing Area of Coverage
Without them, we have little left for controlling our lives
"They missed a great opportunity to shut up." -Jacques Chirac
Brett Wilson LLP has been trying to cheat the legal system many times
Harassment evidence: Switzerland, overcrowded fitness and yoga centers, incompetence and racism in accident response
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Vincent Danjean & Debian NXIVM collateral, blackmail risks
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
In Sweden This Past Friday Richard Stallman Explained Why Copyleft is Important
And he didn't have to 'bash' BSDs, either
IBM Layoffs Due to a Lack of Money and Company Debt Rising by Almost 10 Billion Dollars in 6 Months
IBM didn't buy Red Hat for any ideological reasons; it was a fast "cash grab" for revenue
Forbes Already Stopped Being a News Sites. Now It's a Spam and Propaganda Platform for "Paying Partners" (Companies).
news from Forbes became very scarce
Is the Second-Largest Institution in Europe (EPO) Gradually Becoming More Like a Sweatshop?
Underpaid, unqualified, inexperienced and incompatible people are already recruited to replace veteran examiners
The Register MS Has No FOSS Coverage Anymore
The Editor in Chief is like a Microsoft plant
Links 13/10/2025: "Toasty Subwoofer" and WiFi Speakers "Are About To Go Dumb"
Links for the day
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: iNaturalist and Tove Jansson’s Moominpappa at Sea
Links for the day
Microsoft Does Not Deny That Large Retailers Like Walmart, Costco and Target Are Giving Up on XBox (and Not Stocking It)
No doubt XBox is in trouble and rumours suggest that more mass layoffs are imminent
We'll Encourage Richard Stallman to Talk About Software Patents at the EPO Next Week When He Visits Munich (EPO Headquarters)
Go listen to Richard Stahlmann
Investigative Journalism Protects Society From Corruption, Crimes Against Women, Assaults on Civil Society
"what is the point of men doing military practice to defend a system that is so rotten?"
Swiss pimp usurping reputation of legendary Tissot boss Francois Thiébaud from France (BaselWorld, SWATCH Group SA)
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Paris 'Love Nest' & Debian Outreachy: from Lycée Lakanal to ENS Cachan, Cr@ns, nepotism
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Richard Stallman to Give Public Talk in 3 Hours, Then in the Technical University of Munich (Germany) Next Week
Richard Stallman at TUM on 21.10.2025 18:00, MW2001
Arnaud Parreaux lost case defending rogue employer
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Mathieu Elias Parreaux declared bankrupt in Switzerland
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Breakdown of the Rule of Law and Patent Law in the European Union (EU)
The EPO cannot recruit suitably qualified patent examiners this way, let alone retain them
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: Good Films, Wizard of Earthsea, Upgrading the Steam Controller's Stick
Links for the day
Leaks and Whistleblowers: Our Plan for Today
Society simply cannot advance when too many people self-censor
It's Not Justice When One Side Denies the Other Side the Ability to Even Speak
At this stage, Brett Wilson LLP is in my humble opinion acting in contempt of the Court
Links 13/10/2025: Australian Catholic University Uses Slop to Libel Students, Canada Threatens to Kill Beluga Whales
Links for the day
How Not to Silence Tux Machines (It'll Only Backfire, Badly)
defending Microsoft while attacking this site
Slopwatch: UbuntuPIT and Google News
It seems abundantly clear that Google News and Google in general participates in the slop epidemic
Vincent Danjean (not INTERPOL), Claire Bardel & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Christmas lynchings: Martin Krafft (madduck), Penny Leach (mjollnir) & Debian pregnancy cluster
Reprinted with permission from Daniel Pocock
Gemini Links 13/10/2025: Birthdays and "Committee Unable to Contact Nobel Prize Winner"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, October 12, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, October 12, 2025