Apple Corp’s avoidance of 74 billion in taxes using offshore subsidiaries under scrutiny

While Tim Cook, CEO of Apple denied to Congress that it is the nation’s largest tax avoiders, it is clear from a new report released by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations that apple has been using a device called “Transfer Pricing” to lower its taxes. The company is holding 102 billion in one of its subsidiaries overseas and is using five companies located in Ireland to carry out its tax strategy. Transfer pricing is not unique to Apple but the IRS is now taking a harder look at how U.S. companies carry out the schemes. One of the largest pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) paid $3.4 billion to the IRS as part of a settlement for its transfer pricing scandal. Under a recently amended whistleblower provision within the tax code, the IRS is now offering a reward for whistleblowers who come forward with unique and unknown detailed information about corporate fraud and transfer pricing. It allows the whistleblower up to 30% of what the IRS collects from the company for fraudulent tax evasion. Last year, an IRS whistleblower was paid over $104 million for revealing major tax fraud. Jeffrey Newman represents whistleblowers.