Avustralya’da milyar dolar gelir elde eden bazı büyük şirketler vergi ödemiyor: Microsoft ve Netflix örneği

Kısaca

Microsoft’un Avustralya’da 2,3 milyar dolarlık gelir elde ettiği, ancak vergi ödemediği bildiriliyor ATO veritabanı 2024-25’te büyük şirketlerin vergi ödemeksizin faaliyet gösterebileceğini gösteriyor İzleyen dönemde vergilendirme politikaları ve denetimler için dikkat çekici gelişmeler bekleniyor

Ana mesele

Avustralya’da milyar dolar gelir elde eden bazı büyük şirketler vergi ödemiyor.

Ne değişti?

2024-25 mali yılında vergi ödenmediğine dair bulgular, ATO tablolarında yer alıyor.

Beni nasıl etkiler?

Bu durum, kurumsal vergi politikaları ve iş dünyası vergi güvenliği konusundaki tartışmaları artırıyor.

Ne oldu?

MS ve Optus sahibi Singtel gibi şirketler Avustralya’da yüksek gelir elde ederken vergi ödemediğini bildiriyor.

Neden şimdi?

2024-25 vergi tablosunun kamuya açılmasıyla görünürlük arttı ve kısa süreli yoğun denetim konuşuluyor.

Neden önemli?

Vergi tabanını etkileyebilir, iş dünyasında güven ve yatırım kararlarını değiştirebilir.

Kimler etkileniyor?

• Yatırımcılar
• İş dünyası
• Regülatörler
• Tüketiciler

Sektör ve piyasa etkisi

Güçlü şirketler vergi oranları ve vergi planları konusundaki tartışmaları etkileyebilir

Riskler

• Regülatör incelemelerinin artması
• şeffaflık ve adalet tartışmalarının yükselmesi
• vergi cezaları veya mevzuat değişiklikleri

Takip edilmesi gerekenler

• Avustralya Vergi Dairesi (ATO) açıklamaları
• uluslararası vergi planları ve kâr transferi denetimlerinin genişlemesi
• yerel ve küresel şirketlerin vergi stratejileri

Haberin tamamı

Microsoft’s datacentre business generated $2.3bn in revenue from Australia during the financial year but reported no taxable income. It is among several big businesses to have done so in 2024-25. Photograph: Jimin Kim/SOPA Images/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Microsoft’s datacentre business generated $2.3bn in revenue from Australia during the financial year but reported no taxable income. It is among several big businesses to have done so in 2024-25. Photograph: Jimin Kim/SOPA Images/Shutterstock Tax Microsoft’s datacentres and Optus owner among firms paying zero tax on billion-dollar Australian revenues ATO database names big companies – including Microsoft subsidiary and Netflix – that pay little corporate tax but notes there could be legitimate reasons

Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast

Prefer the Guardian on Google Microsoft’s datacentre business and the Optus parent Singtel are among a string of major corporations generating billions of dollars in revenue in Australia while paying zero income tax.

Well-known multinationals including Netflix also only pay tax on a small fraction of their turnover, according to the Australian Taxation Office.

The ATO’s transparency database for 2024-25 shows more than one-quarter of big companies, often based overseas, regularly pay no or little corporate tax in Australia.

This includes the Brazilian-owned JBS Global Meat Holdings, which generated more than $4.8bn in revenue but paid zero tax, in a recurring pattern for the global food company .

While the ATO does not typically publish tax information of individuals or companies, it is required by parliament to do so for all entities that generate at least $100m in Australian income.

The report did not provide detail as to why individual companies paid zero tax but noted there could be legitimate reasons for it – including making a loss, or using deductions and offsets to lower the taxable income.

Overseas companies often reduce their taxable income by making payments to related entities located in lower-taxing jurisdictions. The practice is known as profit shifting and can attract the scrutiny of regulators.

The ATO’s acting deputy commissioner Michelle Sams said the agency was increasingly focused on making sure digital businesses and supply chains paid their share of tax.

“We look very closely if there’s no tax being paid in significant industries, including things like datacentres, to make sure that the level of tax being paid reflects the economic activity that’s happening in Australia,” Sams said.

Microsoft’s datacentre business generated $2.3bn in revenue from Australia during the financial year but reported no taxable income. The company’s computer and software business paid $160.6m in tax after generating more than $9.2bn in revenue in Australia.

Netflix’s local operation, which regularly pays little tax in Australia, paid the ATO $8.4m after generating more than $1.4bn in local revenue. TikTok Australia paid $17.3m in tax after recording $686.6m in revenue.

Read more An ATO ruling designed to clamp down on profit shifting is expected to raise significant sums from technology companies. But it is expected to face legal challenges.

Parliament also passed revamped media bargaining laws in August, clearing the way for levies on global tech platforms that fail to strike deals with Australian news outlets over the use of their journalism.

Singtel went from a regular taxpayer in Australia before 2020 to a company that now regularly reports zero taxable income.

In 2024-25, it generated more than $8.3bn in total income but didn’t pay tax.

An Optus spokesperson has previously said its negative tax position was due to infrastructure investments and operating expenses.

The New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra was another major earner, with more than $2.4bn in total income, that didn’t pay tax – as was Sony Australia ($1.6bn in revenue) and the online retailer Kogan ($642m).

Kaynaklar

• The Guardian - World