Amazon and Tax-Avoidance: Is it immoral to buy amazon?

[cfrizz]

Oh please taking advantage of all loopholes are standard operating procedure for ALL corporations the world over! For us regular people as well. We might pay our taxes but we are always looking for ways to pay fewer taxes.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by taustin

You're actually starting to become offensive. You've certainly convinced me that Amazon's most vocal critics can be dismissed out of hand.

Lol. You should get offended by something serious, like massive tax-avoidance as a business strategy.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by Elfwreck

They're immoral because they stole books they'd sold. The violation was *Amazon's*, not the customers, who bought in good faith... the publisher would be within their rights to sue Amazon.

They didn't steal the books from readers, they sold stolen books in the first place --- which invalidates the sales. Now they way they handled it turned into a PR disaster, but they didn't do anything wrong.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

You are quite the drama queen aren't you?

It's called humor You should try it.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by Rizla

It's called humor You should try it.

Ah, now I see. This was one big stand up routine.

Makes sense, as your whole premise has been laughable.

[Rizla]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Ah, now I see. This was one big stand up routine.

Makes sense, as your whole premise has been laughable.

enjoy your kindle

[Rizla]

There has been a lot of talk that Amazon and other similar large companies are neither immoral or moral. What does this mean? What are they then? Let's look at the definitions:

Moral = Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character.

Immoral = Not conforming to accepted standards of morality.

Amoral = Lacking a moral sense; unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness of something.

So which of these does tax avoidance on the scale of billions come under? It sure isn't option 1. I'm just surprised at everybody's approval of Amazon and other huge corporations' behavior. *Shrugs* Oh well. There's nought stranger than folk.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by Rizla

enjoy your kindle

I do. Thanks!

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Rizla

I'm just surprised at everybody's approval of Amazon . . .

They don't contribute to local charities, and aren't known for treating their workers well, and your main criticism is -- that they have outstanding tax accountants?

This is what makes it a bit hard for me to figure out the extent to which you are joking.

Don't let this go to your head, but I also have a hard timing knowing when Jane Austen is joking

[kennyc]

That Jane, she's such a joker!

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Lol. You should get offended by something serious, like massive tax-avoidance as a business strategy.

Or libel?

[taustin]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

They didn't steal the books from readers, they sold stolen books in the first place --- which invalidates the sales. Now they way they handled it turned into a PR disaster, but they didn't do anything wrong.

It was considerably more complicated than that - the company that put them up for sale did so legally in the country they were in. The real error they made was in claiming in their marketing blitz when they first released Kindles that they couldn't remotely delete stuff you'd bought (and not having it spelled out exactly when they would in their TOS).

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Rizla

It's called humor You should try it.

It might be called humor, but if the only one who thinks it funny is the one telling it, it's not funny.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Let's look at the definitions:

Moral = Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character.

Immoral = Not conforming to accepted standards of morality.

Amoral = Lacking a moral sense; unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness of something.

Great. Now as soon as you can nail down the definitions of "right" and "wrong" to everyone's satisfaction, the conversation can continue.

This thread is quite silly.

[taustin]

Originally Posted by Rizla

Amoral = Lacking a moral sense; unconcerned with the rightness or wrongness of something.

Or we can add in the rest of the definition:

"lying outside the sphere to which moral judgments apply"

My shoes are amoral, too. There are no moral judgements to be made about my shoes.

You insist on using only one, very narrow definition of the word, in a way that is derogatory to Amazon, while ignoring other common definitions.

That's not illegal, and immoral is purely a matter of opinion. But from an objective standpoint, that'd dishonest.