5 Ways Tech Companies Cheat America's Youth

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http://www.alternet.org/economy/5-ways-tech-companies-cheat-americas-youth



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1. Tech companies built their businesses with our money and effort.

As summarized by Joseph Stiglitz, "Apple, like Google, has benefited enormously from what the U.S. and other Western governments provide: highly educated workers trained in universities that are supported...by government."

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2. They don't pay their required taxes.

Apple got its tax bill down to 9.8% in 2011. The company paid a combined US/foreign tax rate of 15.3% in 2008-'12, which comes to $25 billion in avoided taxes over that time. It uses tax schemes like the "Double Irish" to find tax havens for its profits, two-thirds of which remain untaxed overseas. According to the New Yorker, one of Apple's Irish subsidiaries (Apple Operations International) made $30 billion in profits from 2009 to 2012 but paid ZERO corporate income tax.

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3. They show contempt for the U.S. education system, which is underfunded because of unpaid taxes.

An Apple executive said, "We shouldn't be criticized for using Chinese workers. The U.S. has stopped producing people with the skills we need." He's right about the skills issue. Half of the companies surveyed by the San Francisco Chronicle said they couldn't find qualified graduates for positions within their organizations.

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4. They provide low-wage jobs, if any.

Libertarian Rand Paul proclaimed, "What we need to do is apologize to Apple and compliment them for the job creation they're doing."