Tax dodging questions continue to plague Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and these latest questions come from Australia, where Apple has faced problems in the past. According to the Australian Financial Review, Apple’s tax expenses in Australia declined to $36 million in 2013. However, the company banked $6.1 billion in sales in Australia—a new record.
Apple makes more, pays less in tax
The amount Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) paid in tax revenue this year in Australia was less in 2013 than it was in the past two years, but the company’s revenue there actually increased 2%. Documents show that the company paid $40 million in taxes in Australia in 2012
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also reported a drop in pretax profits of $88.5 million after it paid a dividend of $154 million in March to its parent company in the U.S. In 2012, the company reported $58.5 million in net profit after taxes, compared to in 2012 when net profit after tax was $52 million. A spokesperson for Apple said their income tax expense did differ from what they paid in 2012, but she did not tell the Australian Financial Review exactly how much they paid to the Australian Taxation Office.
Apple not the only tech giant facing tax questions
Of course Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of numerous international technology companies which have had their tax practices questioned. The company follows the same accounting practices many of these other companies use, which enable them to shift their profits over to their subsidiary companies in Bermuda, the Netherlands and Ireland so that they can reduce the amount of taxes they pay in some countries.
Meanwhile, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development continues his posh for global tax reform, which targets multi-national companies like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The organization’s director, Pascal Saint-Amans, said the world’s governments must reform their tax laws if they want to remain competitive. However, he also urged governments not to release corporate tax information which could be misleading. He said that what really matters is that companies pay the taxes they owe in the countries where they do business.
