By Wyatt Earp | October 21, 2010
Personally, I despise Google for their refusal to recognize Memorial Day, D-Day, and America in general. The fact that they are using loopholes to get out of paying $60 billion in taxes .
Google Inc. cut its taxes by $3.1 billion in the last three years using a technique that moves most of its foreign profits through Ireland and the Netherlands to Bermuda. Google’s income shifting — involving strategies known to lawyers as the “Double Irish” and the “Dutch Sandwich” — helped reduce its overseas tax rate to 2.4 percent, the lowest of the top five U.S. technology companies by market capitalization, according to regulatory filings in six countries.
“It’s remarkable that Google’s effective rate is that low,” said Martin A. Sullivan, a tax economist who formerly worked for the U.S. Treasury Department. “We know this company operates throughout the world mostly in high-tax countries where the average corporate rate is well over 20 percent.”
This should probably annoy you. If it does, there’s a pretty good search engine out there that actually likes America – and doesn’t spend its day flipping it the bird.
Topics: WTF? |
October 21st, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Actually I applaud Google for keeping their hard earned money out of the hands of the Obama administration and the US government in general. They will just give it to SEIU or ACORN anyway.
On the other hand I don’t like them as a company for the reasons you listed.
October 21st, 2010 at 8:35 pm
I’ve been using Bing these days myself when conducting online searches, and I prefer it to Google.
October 21st, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Captain – But don’t think they will try to recoup those lost taxes in other ways . . . by screwing John Q. Public.
Morgan – I do, too.
October 21st, 2010 at 9:04 pm
I guess I will have to try Bing. I try not to give Microsoft any more of my business than they already have. Mostly because as the first person in my family to graduate from college while I was working 2 to 3 jobs and raising a kid, I am offended by the fact that white kids are not eligible for a Bill and Melinda Gates Scholarship. They should be based on need, not on skin color.
October 21st, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Never used bing before, but I just changed my default search engine to it.
October 21st, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Why shouldn’t they move the money around to avoid the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world?
Personally, I think they should just move all their corporate ops to Bermuda. Then their US tax bill would be even lower. (And the stock worth more).
October 21st, 2010 at 11:00 pm
I’ve distrusted Google ever since I heard their corporate slogan, “Don’t Be Evil.” Normal people don’t have to remind themselves not to be evil. I try to be a better person every day, but I don’t have to try to not be evil.
October 21st, 2010 at 11:18 pm
So I clicked on the UsersOnline and it said there were 3 Google bots online right now.
Today, I shut off National Prolateriat Radio (NPR) out of my car radio selects because of the shitty way they booted Juan Williams.
Now it looks like I will switch my search engine to Bing. Though I not thrilled with all of Microsoft’s Business Practices either.
October 21st, 2010 at 11:39 pm
This is how f-ed we are. The Google execs are big Dem supporters, their CEO is at the White House often. Yet no one in our govt knew how little Google paid in taxes [and legally I assume].
We need to keep it simple since we are obviously very dumb. Put in a flat tax structure with only limited deductions for kids, mortgage interest and charity and get rid of all the rest.
October 22nd, 2010 at 1:02 am
I just dropped G00gle from my search engines. I can live with Yahoo! and Bing.
October 22nd, 2010 at 1:37 am
Just a correction, Wyatt……the literally started observing Veteran’s Day with special graphics on November 11, 2008…..not even a week after the election of Hussein Dolt, when patriotism suddenly was a good thing and not ‘the last refuge of scoundrels’.
October 22nd, 2010 at 3:52 am
Google also has never, not once, changed their logo to commemorate those who lost their lives on 9-11-01.
But they have celebrated Bastille Day (France) EVERY YEAR!!
October 22nd, 2010 at 7:25 am
Good Halloween memory Picky. Beheaded French!
Oo La La. They knew how to take care of zombies back then.