Image: Max Cherney
Small but loud protest at #WWDC accusing #Apple of not paying taxes pic.twitter.com/z6420QjqbD
— Mariel Myers (@producermariel) June 2, 2014
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A handful of activists, many from the nonprofit Tech Can Do Better, a sort of watchdog for Silicon Valley, stood outside San Francisco’s Moscone center holding a banner that read, "We built this. Apple depends on taxpayers. Can taxpayers depend on Apple?”Before the keynote started, protesters tried to deliver an oversized $5 billion check for Apple CEO Tim Cook to sign. The check was made out to “Bay Area Communities” for "estimated un-taxed income held in Nevada." The stunt was stopped by police. Photojournalist Steve Rhodes snapped some shots of the scene.The protesters have a good point. Apple has pioneered some revolutionary hardware and software, some of which we’re seeing for the first time at WWDC this week. But it’s also proven to be quite innovative when it comes to dodging Uncle Sam.The firm introduced an accounting method known as “Double Irish With a Dutch Sandwich” to the corporate playbook, the New York Times first reported in 2012. It’s a technique whereby profits are routed through Irish subsidiaries, then the Netherlands, finally ending up in the Caribbean. The goal: to reduce the total amount of tax paid to the US government.Another technique Apple pioneered is to “designate overseas salespeople in high-tax countries in a manner that allowed them to sell on behalf of low-tax subsidiaries on other continents, sidestepping income taxes,” reported the Times.Bite back! Protest of #Apple tax evasion outside #WWDC14 @demotix http://t.co/tRnElLwWXZ #taxdodger #WWDC #WWDC2014
— Steve Rhodes (@tigerbeat) June 2, 2014
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