Apple paid just 2% corporation tax outside the US last year

Taxing times

Apple's financial results reveal that it managed to pay just 2% corporation tax in overseas countries last year.

The Cupertino company paid foreign (e.g. outside the US) taxes of $713 million (£445m/ AU$689m) last year, despite making $36.8 billion overseas (£23bn / AU$35.5bn).

It's not clear how much of that was paid in each specific country over the course of the year.

Only death is certain now

Tech companies are coming under increasing scrutiny in the UK, at least, where it's possible to side-step British corporation taxes by routing payments through other countries that charge a lower rate – like Ireland.

Ireland is Apple's tax haven of choice and in 2011, the company paid £10 million in tax on £6 billion-worth of UK sales by opting for the Irish route.

This is perfectly legal, although it leaves Brits somewhat short-changed in the tax department despite Apple's significant contributions to the unavoidable national insurance and VAT coffers.

Other tech giants that have been accused of avoiding paying their fair share of tax include Amazon and Google, both of whom have been invited to discuss the matter with the Public Accounts Committee at Parliament later this month.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/apple-paid-just-2-corporation-tax-outside-the-us-last-year-1110091

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iPhone 5 handset of choice for thieves too, with hundreds stolen in string of raids

Hours before the iPhone 5 went on sale Friday, thieves in two countries were busy filling their swag bags with the new handset.

The iPhone 5 certainly has its fans, with millions pre-ordering Apple’s new handset when it went on sale last week. Thieves in Japan and the UK also appear to like the look of it, with nearly 450 phones taken in raids at a number of stores in the two countries.

In the western Japanese city of Osaka, police said that early Friday morning – just hours before the new phone went on sale in retail stores there – 191 new iPhone 5 handsets were taken from three phone stores located around the metropolis.

One had its entire stock of 116 nabbed in a raid that reportedly lasted just four minutes. Camera footage from the scene showed three people taking part in the theft. The value of the stolen goods was put at 7.5 million yen (around $96,000). The store stayed closed Friday, leaving 116 iPhone customers sorely disappointed when they turned up hoping to pick up the latest iteration of Apple’s smartphone.

In a separate incident, 42 of 44 new iPhones were taken from a phone store in another part of the city. A third store had 33 taken. The three raids occurred within two hours of each other, though investigators said they won’t know if the crimes were carried out by the same culprits until they view camera footage from all three raids.

Meanwhile, police in the UK said they want to speak to an employee of a London phone store who hasn’t been seen since 252 iPhone 5 handsets went missing from the premises. The handsets were reportedly taken at around 1.30am Friday.

Theft of a new iPhone on the morning of its launch is probably another first for Apple, though not one the tech giant will be particularly proud of. Perhaps it’s simply another indicator of the level of buzz and hype surrounding its new handset, one which is likely to sell in huge numbers in the coming months.

[Source: WSJ, BBC] [Image: Yayayoyo / Shutterstock]

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/iphone-5-handset-of-choice-for-thieves/

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Apple iPhone 5 ships, 9 countries get it today

The Apple iPhone 5 is finally hitting the shelves. Sales begin in 9 countries today, which is the biggest number for an iPhone debut so far, with 22 more lined up to join the fun on September 28.

The lucky markets to get the iPhone 5 today are the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Pre-orders made in these countries will also be delivered starting today.

Aussie Todd, who's working for Mobilephonefinder.com.au was the first man to purchase the Apple iPhone 5, having camped in front of the Apple’s flagship Sydney store since Tuesday. Here's a video from early this morning of him entering the store .

Having recorded 2 million pre-orders within the first 24 hours of its launch, the Apple iPhone 5 is expected to ship over 10 million units by the end of the month. And considering the level of interest it is enjoying, we'd be surprised if it fails to meet that target.

On a less serious note, we got yet another spoof video of the iPhone 5. If you are in a mood for a few laughs at Apple's expense, check it out here:

Thanks, NSgameGOD, for the tip!

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_5_rollout_starts_9_countries_get_it_today-news-4840.php

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