• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Chart of the day: How Apple cut its Australian tax rate to 0.7%

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 6, 2014, 1:38 PM ET

FORTUNE — The 
Australian Financial Review
added some local color Wednesday to the Apple (AAPL) tax haven story that was such big news in the U.S. one day last May. (The smartest take on it, for my money, was the one Jon Stewart delivered on the The Daily Show the next night.)

A lot of the detail in the documents Apple filed with the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was redacted. But it turns out that as a registered foreign company doing business in Australia, Apple was required to file annual financial statements with the Australian government.

The Review got their hands on those statements and used them to produce a series of charts (attached above and below) that do a pretty good job showing how the company, by funneling untaxed profits from a high-tax country like Australia to its tax haven in Ireland, was able to reduce its local federal tax rate to less than 1%.

One caveat: The financial statements the Review obtained only cover the years 2000 to 2009. Its editors had to extrapolate in order to extend the data to 2013. And because the really big money started pouring in after 2009, those eye-popping numbers in the 2010-2013 charts should be taken with a grain of salt.

Below: The Review‘s data.









LINKS:

  • How Ireland got Apple’s $9bn profit
  • Subcommittee Report: Offshore Profit Shifting and the U.S. Tax Code – Part 2 (Apple Inc.)
  • Apple’s Testimony: Before the Permanent Subcommitttee on Investidations.
About the Author
By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.