Lawmakers grill Apple CEO

Apple faced a Senate hearing after it was accused of moving money overseas to avoid U.S. taxes. CNN's Joe Johns reports.

美國國會稱，蘋果公司利用美國稅法漏洞，過去兩年在美國避稅125億美元，國會將召開聽證會展開調(diào)查。對此，蘋果公司CEO蒂姆·庫克堅決否認采用“避稅伎倆”，并呼吁美國政府改革稅制。除蘋果外，谷歌、微軟、星巴克及其他一些公司也面臨著避稅質(zhì)詢。

美國國會報告指出，蘋果通過眾多的海外聯(lián)營公司避稅，以蘋果位于以色列的一家附屬公司為例，該公司2011年賺取了220億美元，卻僅僅上繳了1000萬美元稅款。報告預(yù)計，蘋果2011年和2012年在美國分別避稅30億美元、90億美元。

Please stand and raise your right hand.
The head of America's most iconic technology company got a grilling from lawmakers on Capital Hill Tuesday. At an issue whether Apple try to avoid paying its fair share of taxes.
Can you understand there is a perception of unfair advantage here?
Honestly speaking i don't see it as being unfair, i am not an unfair person, and that's not who we are as a company.
Citing a committee report senators accused the tech company of keeping income overseas to avoid paying US taxes. Apple has $144 billion in cash, but $100 billion of that is overseas, and not subject to the 35% corporate tax rate.
Apple has arranged matters so that it can claim that these ghost companies for tax purposes exist nowhere.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company is simply expanding into foreign markets, he cited the $6 billion in US taxes, the iphone and ipad maker paid last two years.
Apple has real operations in real places with Apple employees selling real products to real customers, we pay all of the taxes we own, every single dollar, we not only comply with the laws, but we comply with the spirit of the laws.
Coming to Apple's aid outspoken Republican senator Ryan Paul complaining about the clunky tax code and defending the tech giant's tax strategy.
I'm offended by our $4 trillion government bullying, berating and badgering one of the America's greatest success stories, you know tell me one of these politicians up here who doesn't minimize their taxes, tell me a chief financial officer that you would hire if you didn't try to minimize your taxes legally.
But senator John McCan couldn't let Cook leave without getting to the heart of the matter.
What I really want to ask is why the hell i have to keep updating the apps on my iphone all the time, and why you don't fix that.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washinton.