I am grateful to US CPA Jeffery Kadet for sending me one set of Google's 2013 Ireland accounts, in which he draw attention to this statement:
To put it another way, accounting standards might ask for this geographic data but Google regrets that complying might reveal a truth it would rather not discuss.
No wonder that when in the US recently I mentioned to a former Big 4 partner that I created country-by-country reporting he replied, I think only partly in jest, that he recommended I keep that quiet if I wanted to get out again.
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It must be assumed that the auditors agreed with this statement otherwise they would qualify the account. Or would they?
Auditors have no public interest responsibilities, like priests in the confessional box, absolution can be granted in total secrecy.
I don’t know if you caught this episode of the bottom line with evan davis
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b071whgb
the discussion of tax avoidance that hinted at google’s stance was made quite enlightening from the viewpoint of the guests,
Guests:
Heather Self, Tax Partner, Pinsent Mason
Rolf Rothuizen, Partner, RPS Legal, Amsterdam
Anthony Travers, Chairman, Cayman Islands Stock Exchange
it’s not a show that I like because it represents my values but I do like to hear people in the financial world speaking frankly amongst friends,
this other show on financial engineering left me quite staggered by their honesty!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06kgvcn
I noticed the programme, and it’s extraordinary political bias (starting with Davis)
I will try to listen when on a train today
extraordinarily biased yes!
but… for the occasional insight into the reasoning and viewpoints of these financial wizards the show comes over to me as something akin to a modern day ‘Screwtape Letters’ dialogue!
I must listen