Apple’s tax bill leaves sour taste for Kiwis

Hard working Kiwi taxpayers have every reason to feel outraged by revelations that a massive company like Apple, with billions of dollars of New Zealand revenue, has paid no New Zealand tax over ten years, says Labour’s Revenue spokesperson Michael Wood.

“Nurses, cleaners, office workers, and small business owners, who pay their fair share of tax to support public services in our country, will be dismayed at these latest revelations.

“We know that this is the tip of the iceberg for big multi-nationals being let off the hook by the National Government being completely asleep at the wheel.

“Cabinet was officially warned about the huge scale of multi-national tax avoidance five years ago, yet as late as last year the Revenue Minister was saying there was no problem and he’d seen no evidence to suggest New Zealand was missing out. It’s obvious that we are.

“The Government has been forced into belated action by the media and the opposition, and even then are refusing to consult on the option of a diverted profit tax, which has been employed to deal with this issue in Australia and the UK.

“New Zealanders expect their Government to take a stand when it’s revealed that a multinational company has been avoiding hundreds of millions of dollars in tax,

“It is astonishing that Judith Collins refused to front up to the Herald about this sort of behaviour. She was willing to be tough with 17 year olds in souped-up Mazda’s, but not with major multi-nationals that are ripping off Kiwi taxpayers.

“Labour stands for a fair tax system in which everyone pays their fair share. We will implement a better multi-national tax policy and insisting on a tough, credible package that puts an end to rorts like these,” says Michael Wood.

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