Creative Capitalism Gets Microsoft $528M Tax Break

NewsCloud writes "Microsoft makes products in Washington but records software sales to PC makers and high-volume customers through an operation in Nevada, where there is no corporate tax. So Washington has missed out on more than half a billion in taxes; revenue it could use for badly needed infrastructure needs — such as the needed replacement of the 520 bridge which connects Seattle ... to Microsoft. Reported by Slashdot in 2004, the numbers have increased with the company's growth to approx. $76M in savings last year alone. The author questions the legality of the practice given Microsoft's 35,500+ employees and 11.2 million square feet of real estate in Washington state."

Comments

What, are you guys comunist or something?

[sm62704]

Don't you support corporate welfare? In our corporate-run facist society you are supposed to deride the poor woman working two jobs to support her children because she gets food stamps because "well if she can't support them she shouldn't have them" while cheering the corporations your tax dollars go to in th eform of "pork" who aren't forced to pay workers enough to live on.

It's the Corporate American way.

The "child tax credits", food stamps, and other government handouts to "the poor" subsidise the corporations that don't have to pay Americans a living wage. The corporations are the true recipients of all American government handouts.

The foreign owned and run corporations have bought America's government and corporate owned news outlets have brainwashed Americans, including slashdotters who are supposed to have brains. Think again; no, think once you haven't yet.

Damn but I'm in a bad mood today and reading slashdot ain't helpin' much. From the thing about Democrats and Republicans (but no Greens or Libertarians) to this fucking bullshit about the world's richest man's company being on welfare... well I'm not happy with my stupid, stupid countrymen.

-mcgrew

Re:Forget the non-payment of taxes

[dedazo]

Do you have a link that documents how the company does this in the post-Enron/Adelphia/WorldCom era? Something that's not eight years old might be useful and actually informative. Especially considering they switched to granting shares instead of options a long time ago.

A link that illustrates how Microsoft is (or was) the only company to do this in the planet (as you seem to be implying) at the time or now would also be helpful.

Re:You eat the food, you pay the bill

[spun]

Cute. Are you trolling, or do you really believe you have a right to live in the US without following US laws? You freeloaders make me sick. You want the benefits of living in America without the costs. There are plenty of places you can live and not pay taxes, the thing is, you wouldn't actually want to live there. What you want is a first world country, with first world services, without paying for anything except what you think is fair. And I want to purchase just five channels from a cable or satellite provider. Any provider. But I can't, so those evil cable and satellite providers must be oppressing me and taking away my rights.

You can say whatever you like. You can try to get taxes repealed. That's within your rights. What isn't within your rights is not paying your taxes while using the services. Not only that, it isn't ethical or moral. No one has the power to force you to do things, because you can always go live on a deserted island somewhere, or in a cave, and no one will bother you. If you want to live with other people, you have to make compromises, like it or not. People have the power to offer you things that you may want so much that you aren't willing to live in a cave. That isn't force or coercion, that's you, deciding you like what they offered and you accept the damn contract. Sorry if you don't like the choices offered, but no one guaranteed you a right to be offered only choices you like.

Re:You eat the food, you pay the bill

[spun]

Funny, that's how I thought the free market works, and government was there to protect us from that.

Re:You eat the food, you pay the bill

[spun]

Ah, so you think you should be able to live anywhere, regardless of who already lives there and what rules they have in place. Tell you what, I don't have a contract with you regarding the use of your property, so I am going to come live in your house and eat your food. You obviously don't mind.