38% of Australia's biggest companies paid NO tax last year.

So what!
Who cares if she understands or she does not understand.

How does that help anyone?

She ran a successful business that's all that counts!

I'm completely ignorant of our tax system too - that's why tax accountants exist.

 

perfect example - netflix. they do not have a single employee in australia and annualised revenue would be in the region of $100m in this country. based on easily available info their gross profit margins are in the region of 30%, meaning $30m gross profit. i believe (could be wrong) they do not pay a single dollar in tax apart from GST, one of the few good things abbot's govt brought in was the GST on companies like netflix and uber so at least something is being generated for the govt's coffers.

 

It's not the Gubb who have seized on this issue and run with it...it's the media.

In fairness; I don't think any Gubb could d a good job atm (and I vote LIb)..the sets of figures we/they have to work with are terrible.

They just never admit it.

 

It is well known that some mega tech multinationals are being investigated by the Senate for potential tax avoidance. Here are some extracts from an article that small business wants large MNCs to stop tax avoidance

Small business backs the naming and shaming of multinational tax dodgers
Wednesday, 19 August 2015 2:00
BROEDE CARMODY

A parliamentary committee has recommended publicly shaming companies that are not paying their fair share of tax in Australia, to the applause of small business advocates.

The proposal is one of 17 recommendations put forward by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Economics in its interim report into corporate tax avoidance.

...........................

The draft report is part of a 10-month investigation into profit-shifting by companies such as Apple and Google, chaired by Labor Senator Sam Dastyari.

Small business has welcomed the draft recommendations, arguing international companies have gotten away with tax avoidance measures for far too long.

Peter Strong, chief executive of the Council of Small Business of Australia, toldSmartCompany he hopes the Senate’s recommendations will lead to companies like Amazon having to pay their fair share of tax.

“It’s not debatable,” Strong says.

“Quit playing games. It’s not dodging tax, it’s theft. With small businesses that don’t pay their tax, the ATO hunts them and chases them down and good on them. The big end of town have got to lead the way on this… otherwise the good big businesses are going to have to pay more tax than the bad ones.”

Small business backs the naming and shaming of multinational tax dodgers

And in another report here

Apple, Google and Microsoft deny dodging tax in Australia

Peter Strong, executive director of the Council of Small Business of Australia, toldSmartCompany he was impressed by the way Xenophon and other senators were tackling the international issue of tax avoidance.

“I think a lot of small businesses have thought too many politicians haven’t taken it seriously,” Strong says.

Strong says he hopes politicians are not swayed by the influence of big businesses that donate money to political parties for good favour.

Strong says the small business community is not calling for tech companies to pay “more than what they owe”.

“If you are decent member of Australian society and good corporate citizen, you pay your tax,” he says.

“We don’t mind if you’re making sure you’re not paying too much, but if you make your profits here, you should pay here.”

 

It's not the media that released all the confidential information from the ATO...

 

Very surprised by this

"APPLE has agreed to pay Italy 318 million euros ($A476.5 million) in taxes for several past years, prosecutors say, part of a broader European effort to make multinationals pay what they owe in each country where they do business.

Italy has already brought several cases against global technology companies that have headquarters in low-tax nations like Ireland to avoid paying higher taxes in other countries, like Italy.

The practice, called profit-shifting, has come under attack from the European Union, which wants multinationals to pay tax where they earn their revenue, and not where they have their regional base.

The EU’s 28 states agreed in October to share details of tax deals they reach with big companies to make sure they are fair to other countries. The EU has already ordered Starbucks and Fiat to pay millions in back taxes to Luxembourg and the Netherlands, respectively.

Italian state television said the 318 million euros worked out in the agreement is far less than what Italian tax authorities contend should have been paid over those years.

Italian tax authorities have also examined Facebook’s Milan offices’ books. In yet another investigation, Google has said it has been working with Italian tax authorities to determine what it might owe."
Apple to pay Italy $476 million in tax