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Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes

255 points · 249 comments · gmays

  1. nimish · · focus · HN ↗
    I think a fun exercise would be for the Times to ask their own accountants how they classify their own engineering employees for the R&D tax credit.
    1. judah · · focus · HN ↗
      This. How many of us in this thread wouldn't take advantage of legal loopholes to pay less in taxes? How many corporations are doing the same?

      I'd guess nearly every citizen tries to pay the least amount in taxes they possibly can.

      The NYT article strikes me as disguised envy: "they make more money than us, so let's demonize them for doing something we all do: minimizing our tax burden."

      1. hydrogen7800 · · focus · HN ↗
        >How many of us in this thread wouldn't take advantage of legal loopholes to pay less in taxes? How many corporations are doing the same?

        How many of us in this thread can afford lobbyists to bribe lawmakers to change the law to benefit ourselves?

        1. judah · · focus · HN ↗
          ...would you change the law in your favor if you had the means to do so?
          1. hydrogen7800 · · focus · HN ↗
            >The task of government was not to stop selfish striving—a hopeless task—but to harness it for the public good [0]

            I agree we should not let the rich and powerful corrupt our government. I don't know your mind, but I have heard this argument before, usually by folks who consider such efforts to be government overreach. This also ignores the placement of burden in such a corrupting influence; that it is the fault of government allowing itself to be corrupted, not the "selfish striving" person/business/organization. I guess amoral sociopathic behavior is permitted behind the corporate veil and there is nothing that can or should be done about it.

            [0] From Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton.

            1. longerthoughts · · focus · HN ↗
              >I guess amoral sociopathic behavior is permitted behind the corporate veil and there is nothing that can or should be done about it.

              This is such a weak characterization of the argument. What are you proposing we do to sufficiently punish people who have broken no laws? You can't effectively police individuals or corporations according to unwritten rules, so write good rules and fix them when they fail. That's what can and should be done about it!

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