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Google Invests $1 Billion To Build New London HQ
redletterdave writes "Google just purchased a 2.4-acre plot in the King's Cross Central development in London, where the company plans to build a brand-new, 1 million square foot office. Google reportedly invested about £650 million ($1.04 billion) on the property, which, when finished, will be valued at more than £1 billion ($1.6 billion). While Google traditionally leases its overseas offices, the company's decision to buy rather than rent in this case was likely tax motivated, since Google can't repatriate its cash to the U.S. without paying a hefty tax."
With companies like Google or Coke or Sony, is it one company....say Sony is a Japanese company, that incorporates businesses in many countries which are owned by the Japanese company, and just funnel the money back into the Japanese parent corp? What is to stop the independent company from doing its own thing or making different decisions?
Or in the case of Google, how do they have say over the UK iteration of the company? Are they all controlled by the same people? What are the relationships?
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
Except it's to avoid US tax they are doing this. Reuters article.
Ireland and say Spain have radically different tax rates over profits over a sale. So... what can you do if you are devoid of all morals?
Say the product in Spain sells for 100 dollars but really costs 10 to produce in China. Then Ireland buys it from China for 10 and sells it to Spain for 99.99. The sale in Spain then to the consumer is for 100, giving the Spain division a 1 cent profit.
Of course, since you are making so little money in Spain, you do claim all the subsidies and tax breaks you can to support your struggling business.
The fact is that our society is run on the principle that everyone is nice, that everyone is going to try their best to live together and play well with each other. The order keepers can NEVER check everyone doesn't speed, doesn't run red lights, gives the right of way. AND we NEED that, just imagine HOW hard it would be to travel anywhere if you couldn't at least somewhat count of right of way, people stopping for signs and keeping a similar speed. Remember that those who hate the speed limit ONLY talk about the MAX speed limit, the speeders NEVER complain about SLOW vehicles being banned from certain roads. No speed limits means you can drive ANYTHING ANYWHERE.
It is the same with taxes, it would be un-workable to check everybody, so the system relies on most people paying their tax neatly.
Evil people/Republicans often claim the rich pay the majority of the tax burden... apart that from the fact it ain't as a big a burden if you are rich, that is only logical, those who have the majority of the money, pay the majority of the taxes. The hidden lie (you know it is a lie because a Republican said it) is that the rich SHOULD be paying FAR more. But countless loopholes make the likes of Romney have a taxrate of 11%. No wonder he wants to see a birth certificate but does not want to show his tax records. If the rich payed their due share (who benefits more from police patrols, the rich guy with police guard or the poor guy living in a police no-go area) there would be far more tax-revenue AND then EVERYONES taxes could come down. If one rich guy avoids paying 1 million, that is a LOT of minimum wage workers who have to make up the difference because no Republican tax avoider would think of spending less on the army.
Tax avoidance is a gigantic business, the economy of Ireland practically runs on it. And that is the huge problem, there is ALWAYS someone who benefits when society is harmed.
The funny thing is that any call for chance will get you millions of piss-poor Republicans living on benefits saying you shouldn't tax the rich! Willing slaves. Because one day YOU may own a slave, you defend your own slavery. The American Dream, the ultimate brainwash.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
They'll personally pick up that $1 billion wherever you want, and hand it back to personally wherever you want it. All perfectly legal. Oh, they will want a small "taste" of that $1 billion. Hell, they'll take it to the Moon or Mars for you. The first manned colonies there will be tax shelters.
Or they could mint some $1 billion platinum coins, and take them in their pockets on flights from London to San Francisco.
Evading taxes, is never a problem for big corporations. Now that they are investing $1 billion in the property in London, the rent rates in that neighborhood will surely skyrocket. Who owns, or partially owns, the real estate in the area . . . maybe Google, as well . . . ?
Buy up some cheap real estate in a distressed area, and then build something big there. The cheap real estate suddenly becomes quite valuable. A nice business plan . . .
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
We used to call them "Wall Street Bankers", but then the Tea Party arose and convinced people (perhaps with the aid of a new source of funds) that WS wasn't the real problem.
Actually the Tea Party's roots are in reigning in gov't spending. It was in fact an organic grass roots movement. They went after Bush and the Republican controlled Congress when they were spending like mad. However it eventually became co-opted to a degree by the Republican party.
It was Occupy Wall Street that was a creation:
"The Canadian anarchist group Adbusters initiated the protest with assistance from the Manhattan-based public relations firm Workhorse, who was well-known for its successful work on client brands including Mercedes and Saks Fifth Avenue."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_wall_street
And like the Tea Party became co-opted to a degree, though by the Democratic party.