Corporate duties extend to paying fair tax share

BRENDA AYNSLEY THE AUSTRALIAN  July 01, 2014 12:00am

THERE’S an age-old debate about the purpose of business. The average board director or shareholder would most likely push the line that the function of a business is to make money.

In recent years, however, we’ve seen a growing number of stakeholders and decision-makers committed to building sustainable businesses, where a noble mission is as important as the bottom line.

Nowhere is this more prevalent than the ICT sector, where businesses like Apple and Google talk up their roles as corporate citizens and drive corporate social responsibility programs to add value to the community.

While CSR programs are commendable, these same companies are giving with one hand but holding back with the other by using every means possible to avoid paying their fair share of tax.

The pervasiveness of technology means there are unlimited opportunities for ICT organisations to demonstrate their social agenda. Dell and Intel are partnering with the NSW Department of Education to provide a range of training programs for public school teachers aimed at integrating technology and quality teaching practices into the curriculum.

Microsoft’s On My Way program provides products and training aid to equip people for new job opportunities, just one of several initiatives the software giant operates to give back.

Apple, meanwhile, has invested resources to provide transparency around its supply chain and to ensure that its products are built using conflict-free materials and ethical work practices. The company’s latest supply chain report confirmed that Apple’s partners used .....

Read more here.  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/technology/opinion/corporate-duties-extend-to-paying-fair-tax-share/story-e6frgb0o-1226972815209?nk=b68f8ea68d5d9ae3d8ea35b893cfcb54