tax

According to a new report, over the past three years Microsoft has used a series of complex financial maneuvers to avoid paying billions of dollars in U.S. taxes. The report is part of a United States Senate investigation. A Senate committee memo ... indicates that Microsoft made transactions with subsidiary firms in other countries -- including Puerto Rico, Singapore, Bermuda, and even Ireland -- to save more than $6 billion it would otherwise have owed to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Corporate Tax Tricks "Exact a Tremendous Cost" The memo also indicates that major PC maker ... (view more)

One of the biggest tax errors in British history has led millions of people to pay the incorrect tax to the HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs). Even worse: phishers have burst onto the scene looking to cash in on the mass confusion. HMRC has ... since attempted to quash fears by promising that all those affected will have their issues rectified via standard mail and NOT by phone or email; however, considering the severity of the situation, many have taken to the Internet to conduct their own research. Once online, curious individuals become susceptible to opportunistic phishing scams. ... (view more)

Ever heard of the Apple Tax? Neither have we, though one Microsoft executive is adamant that to buy an Apple Macintosh computer is to sacrifice hard-earned dollars when customizing your shiny new machine. In a recent interview, vice president of ... Windows Consumer Product Marketing Brad Brooks discussed the additional costs Apple buyers face when trying to pencil in Windows Vista or XP compatibility. Brooks argues that those costs associated with customizing the operating system, applications, and even laptop or desktop colors can make Mac machines much higher than their anticipated cost. "It's ... (view more)

Amazon recently filed papers with the New York State Supreme Court declaring a problem tax provision to be "invalid, illegal, and unconstitutional." This was an expected response by a retailer attempting to redefine what constitutes the physical ... presence of a company within the geographical boundaries of a state. Confused? So is the state of New York, which contends that Amazon ought to be held responsible for the collection of local sales taxes because the company pays out referral commissions to its affiliates who are registered to a New York address. The provision is part of New York's $ ... (view more)

The Copyright Board of Canada has given the OK to a tax being placed on iPods and other removable storage memory cards that could be used for private copying. The approval comes despite strong oppositions from both the Canadian Storage Media ... Alliance and the Retail Council of Canada. Kim Furlong, Director of Federal Government Relations with the Retail Council, said that the tax is a dangerous approach. "It's like going into Best Buy and learning the computer is a hundred dollars more just because the government thinks you might download music. It's effectively a hidden tax," she said. ... (view more)

Here's one for the "Did You Know" (or care) file: Canadians pay extra for their rewritable CDs with the understanding that the end use will be justified. This means that for every CD-R sold, a small levy of twenty-one cents is forwarded to the ... Canadian music industry. According to source, a recent survey of Canadians showed that my countrymen (and women) on average support the tax and the silent understanding of what the end result might be. But, not everyone does. Many voices within the Canadian music industry see the tax as a sort-of license to "ill" (thank you, Beastie Boys...who are not ... (view more)

While U.S. President George W. Bush wages war against the Middle East, New York Junior Senator Hilary Clinton has strapped on her own combat fatigues -- but she's aiming her missiles in a different direction: toward the video game industry. Last ... Year In 2005, Bill Clinton's wife grabbed headlines by launching an over-the-top tirade against video games. She dramatically proclaimed that games are "stealing the innocence of our children and ... making the difficult job of being a parent even harder." (Source: senate.gov ) Despite drowning in a sea of hyperbole, Hilary's 2005 proposal to penalize ... (view more)