7 day forecast
Apple isn't the problem, the lawmakers are
Share with others:
Reading your May 5 lead editorial ("Civic Duty: What Is Apple's Obligation on Paying Taxes?"), I found myself agreeing with your position that Apple should be a more responsible "citizen." Then suddenly it came to me. That's not the problem!
I have always operated on the principle that citizens should pay every cent they owe in taxes, but not a penny more. I have made a study of the tax laws and have taken advantage of every deduction and credit available to me. Isn't that what Apple is doing?
The problem lies with the people who write the tax laws, those who write in the deductions and the loopholes and then, when the inequalities are made clear by those who take advantage of them, do not revise those laws so that they are more equitable.
When the Warren Buffetts pay taxes at a lower rate than their secretaries, the laws are wrong and need to be changed. When Apple "skips out" on California's 8.84 percent corporate income tax by opening a small office in Nevada, the law needs to be changed. When the laws aren't changed to eliminate obvious inequities, whose fault is that? I suggest the answer is our legislators. And when they don't correct the laws, they should be fired, i.e., not re-elected.
JAMES K. DONNELL
Cranberry
First Published May 14, 2012 12:00 am
