←back to thread

Apple reports fourth quarter results

(www.apple.com)
176 points mfiguiere | 4 comments | 30 Oct 25 20:34 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
lapcat ◴[30 Oct 25 20:45 UTC] No.45765104[source]▶
This stuck out like a sore thumb to me:

Q4 2024: Income before provision for income taxes $29.610 billion, Provision for income taxes $14.874 billion

Q4 2025: Income before provision for income taxes $32.804 billion, Provision for income taxes $5.338 billion

[EDIT:] The 2024 taxes were actually an aberration.

"the one-time charge recognized during the fourth quarter of 2024 related to the impact of the reversal of the European General Court’s State Aid decision" https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/10/apple-reports-fourth-...

replies(7): >>45765246 #>>45765257 #>>45765283 #>>45765292 #>>45765354 #>>45765394 #>>45765726 #
FredPret ◴[30 Oct 25 21:42 UTC] No.45765726[source]▶
Corporate income tax is one of those ideas that are immensely popular politically ("someone who is not me will pay billions to benefit me? yay!") but not supported by economic theory or real economic outcomes. Rent control / other price controls is another one ("No more rent increases for me, yay!").

Personal income taxes are a better choice according to [0] and that makes sense if you think about it. Let companies go wild creating wealth; eventually the company matures, growth slows, and instead of reinvesting, the money mostly gets paid out to employees and owners as salaries, dividends, or stock buybacks. That's the point where it's most efficient to tax it.

[0] https://www.economicsobservatory.com/which-taxes-are-best-an...

[1] https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/primers/primer-not-all-taxe...

replies(5): >>45765867 #>>45765954 #>>45778261 #>>45778332 #>>45780035 #
1. willis936 ◴[01 Nov 25 00:42 UTC] No.45778261[source]▶
Thinking the last part is happening or will happen anytime soon feels very naive. Advantaged companies have the means to not pay their fair share and they never will.

Corporate tax rates were insanely higher many decades ago. Both industry and the public thrived despite it. Corporate tax rate slashed, public flounders, corporations act in ungrounded and bizarre ways. This is not a healthy system.

replies(2): >>45779278 #>>45780897 #
2. valleyer ◴[01 Nov 25 04:34 UTC] No.45779278[source]▶
> Thinking the last part is happening or will happen anytime soon feels very naive.

"The last part" of GP is taxing the company's money when it's distributed to shareholders, and that is absolutely already happening. You might not like the current rates or loopholes (neither do I), but I think most of the somewhat-wealthy big tech engineers on this board can attest that it "is happening".

replies(1): >>45779347 #
3. jplrssn ◴[01 Nov 25 04:54 UTC] No.45779347[source]▶
The more you concentrate taxation via capital gains, the more you incentivise the type of tax strategy where people just leave the state/country before cashing out. Countering that with exit taxes and such is hard.

Taxing company profits directly may be less efficient from an economics point of view but it's much more politically palatable.

4. graeme ◴[01 Nov 25 11:41 UTC] No.45780897[source]▶
>the money mostly gets paid out to employees and owners as salaries, dividends, or stock buybacks.

This is the last part. Where do you think the money goes if not to employees or owners?