
Google, Facebook make billions in Australian sales but pay less than $40m in tax - adrian_mrd
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-01/google-facebook-make-billions-in-australian-sales-pay-little-tax/11060474
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basicplus2
Its about time big multinationals pay a fixed percentage of tax on gross sales
regardless of costs

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A2017U1
But they do. Everything they sell in Australia has a 10% sales tax, it's just
as far as the article is concerned that's the buyers paying tax, not the
sellers.

Consumption taxes are the simplest way to stop tax avoidance, but it's taboo
for many people who can't comprehend mechanisms to balance out flat taxes.

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basicplus2
No.. sales tax (GST in Australia) is passed on to the consumers and the
companys do not pay any of this so they pay very little tax on Their profits

Most invoices even point this out by putting their total price adding on the
GST to the invoice for a total

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joshuamorton
> is passed on to the consumers and the companys do not pay any of this

This is semantic. The money a company has to pay tax on profit comes from
consumers. If that tax goes up, so will consumer prices (depending on price
elasticity obviously).

 _All_ taxes are eventually passed on to the consumers.

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basicplus2
no its not.. the Australian Gov even went to great lengths to show how
businesses would not bear the cost of GST in the days of implementing the
legislation! All goods and services cost more in Australia by 10% by virtue of
the GST.. It is aconsumption tax.. the consumer pays it. It is not a prodction
tax

I suggest you talk to your accountant and have it explained in detail.

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joshuamorton
If the cost of production increases, someone has to pay that cost. That
someone is the consumer. All costs are (eventually) borne by the consumer
because that's how economies work. You're talking about accounting, I'm
talking about macroeconomics.

