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It's not just Google who is evil. They're just getting called out on it, because they've pledged not to be evil. It's rather expected of other corporations be
by dbingham 16y ago
It's not just Google who is evil. They're just getting called out on it, because they've pledged not to be evil. It's rather expected of other corporations because we expect them to operate with out morals in search of maximum profit.
But any corporation that takes advantages of tax loop holes, legal or not, is doing evil. By doing that they are taking money out of the pockets of every day citizens in every country who's taxes they avoid paying. Because those citizens have to either make up the difference, or cut vital services such as education, infrastructure, health care and the social safety net. And those citizens can very ill afford to make up the difference.
There are exposes like this done once every few years decrying how low the real tax rate is for some large corporation or other or group there in. Really Google ought not have been singled out by this round. All corporations that do this are being evil. But Google's promised not to be evil -- and for the most part has upheld that -- so they are being targeted.
Really, the most moral course of action here would be to pay the taxes and lobby for the closing of the loopholes. And if they feel the tax rate is too high -- the lowering of the tax rate.
- retube 16y agoYou could argue that the moral thing to do is maximise profit for shareholders (this is what they are legally required to do anyway). By deliberating paying more taxes than they need to shareholders will be penalised (smaller dividends etc).
- wolfrom 16y agoThat's true. Google would be cheating its shareholders by not returning the most value through legal means. Of course, in Google's case, they probably could choose to pay more tax and get away with it, but why would they?
- dbingham 16y agoReturning the maximum profit for shareholders is moral only for the very narrowly focused or the short sighted. Am I being moral if I return maximum profit for my shareholders by working my workers to death? Or by polluting the land so that it cannot be used after I am done with it? How about by returning value to them with one hand (the value of their shares, dividends) and removing it with the other (the increases in individual taxes required to make up for the shortfall I created by not paying)?