Corporate Parasites: Activision Pays Zero Income Tax, Gets A Refund Anyway - Videos for the 97.4%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRWCr90Lhxw

This is exactly why simply raising taxes won't do shit. If you want fairer tax, start by closing up the loopholes large corporations use.

They should be fined billions tbh

Wellp! I'm gonna go claim myself an entitled free virtual copy of MW3 to finish that trilogy on PC. I also own it legally on PS3 so chill. I'm also gonna start planning on drawing/modelling Bobby Kotick as a gigantic demonic tick.

Why is following the law considered a loophole? I'm all for stopping a lot of these sorts of things, but these companies are just doing the exact same thing anyone else would do if they were able.

Aren’t all loopholes legal? I could be wrong but I thought a loophole was using poorly constructed laws to commit “immoral” behavior?

You're thinking the wrong way. Using loopholes by definition is following the law, however it means you're using various overlapping, vague and freely interpretable rules it make it as favourable for you as possible. Basically it's like entering a foot race for one legged kids but somehow you manage to enter it because you scraped one of your knees and the rule is written in such a vague way that a scrape is in the eyes of the law equal to an amputated leg.

Are you kidding? The idea of taxes... is to pay them. Any way of using laws to get around that is a loophole

what a rousing moral argument from our local moral warrior Yes they're just doing what "anyone" would do, but they also spent inordinate amounts of money, along with other companies, to lobby and demand these kinds of loopholes and avoidance schemes. The fact you're even remotely suggesting that "following the law" is the only important part here shows just how detached you are from the issue. Large corporations in the US set the corporate tax policy(esepcially under Trump) and have done so favouring themselves for some years. The amount of US tax avoidance by US companies just "following the law" is absurd, and I do not know how someone who believes in objective moral codes can possibly accept an argument like this. Seems hyper partisan to me.

Oh come the fuck on what is with this "Anyone would do it if they could!!!" Argument? Yeah I'm sure that if folks found a way to "legally" take things from their local convenience store without paying or murder people they don't like without having to go to jail people who had an interest in doing such things would do it but that's not it being 'right' to do those things that's the law fucking failing. The law is such that a certain amount be paid in taxes, and 'following the law' would be to pay their fucking taxes like every normal-ass citizen in this country has to do. What's not following the law is using the sort of money that only corporations have access to in order to pay scads of lawyers and accounting experts find loopholes in the system so that you can leech off the government like a parasite. Fucking ridiculous, if I found a way to get infinite free games on steam via a vulnerability in the rules of their system as programmed, I'd be a hacker and a criminal, but apparently if you pay lawyers to do the same thing and trick the government into giving you money for free and keep you from paying any of the taxes you're supposed to it's "Following the law".

I'd say this issue is mainly at fault of the government for allowing these loopholes to exist in the first place, but companies should feel guilty of taking advantage of them. When it comes to public benefits, usually people that deserve or need them will use them. For instance, I'm a veteran so i feel entitled to use all of the benefits given to me and as such, i usually will. However I do not feel entitled to use benefits meant for struggling citizens even if I do struggle as there are benefits for veterans that would help me. I use only benefits that I feel entitled to and are absolutely necessary because I do not want to tarnish the resources of those benefits if I do not need them. Large corporations do not have this moral decision making process. They will use any and all benefits they find that they qualify for regardless if they need them or not hurting our government and it's people in the process. It is not beneficial for a corporation in a capitalist economy to not attempt to find every way to accrue more revenue. So in a twisted way, every corporation is entitled to all ways of assisting themselves in the name of success through capitalism. It's not necessarily evil or wrong, but requires finesse from the government to not let these inhuman entities take advantage of the government and it's people, because they always will if they legally can (or get away with it).

It's the fault of the populous for being complacent. Don't like it? Do something about it.

This is kind of the point though, right? The reason why they are unfair is because not only do you have to be eligible for them, but you need the resources to use them as well. The average person cannot benefit from this because these loopholes don't apply to them. Smaller business cannot benefit because they probably don't have the accounting resources to find and use these loopholes. Large companies reap the benefits of these hidden tax breaks, while the rest of us have to take on that tax burden for ourselves to make up the difference. This is entirely ignoring the ethical aspect, too.

We'd love to, but we live in a democracy, and more people don't want this to change than do.

I don't think that's true. I think most people don't know too much about it, or are misinformed. Also not many representatives actually give a shit

pretty sure I get some kind of life sentence if I do the same as these corporations

By your logic, the word "loophole" simply doesn't exist. Why don't you go read the definition of loophole before making some asinine comment about legality.

This is a horrendous mindset to have.