The stock of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) closed at $171.05 losing 0.47% in yesterday’s trading session. It was last Saturday that a large number of activists flocked outside this company’s stores in France with the aim of pressuring the business giant to pay up on a €13 billion ($15.5 billion) tax bill to the European Union.
Attac, the group involved, has disclosed that it is aware of all its agents in all the stores claiming that it won’t stop in its quest to pressure Apple to pay more money to EU institutions. The Opera Apple Store in Paris was occupied by almost 100 members from the organization all demanding that the company pay more money to the EU. The body has over the years billed itself as an international movement that advocates for more government spending and taxes, as well as the closing of tax havens so government gets even more money, among many other objectives involving getting more money to the EU governing bodies in any way possible.
Attac has been quite outspoken in the recent times disclosing that numerous protests were conducted in stores in France on Saturday. Several videos have been in circulation on Twitter showing activists trying to make their way past security as well as hanging numerous banners.
Attac has also forwarded claims indicating that Apple’s tax optimization methods have played a major part towards pushing matters to where they are at the moment, which is cheap smartphones that almost everyone happily uses. Eyes are fixed on the company to see what it does next in a bid to save its face from the general public, which in any case does not seem to be displeased with Apple, considering much of the public happily stampedes to buy its products. According to Attac, this company has for quite some time been using its Irish subsidiaries to relocate a section of its global profits as well as immunize itself from paying many taxes. Apple admits this much openly, so it is unclear what Attac is revealing, if anything at all.
The spokesman for Attac, Aurélie Trouvé opined, “Apple must stop denying the tax practices highlighted by the European Commission’s investigation, withdraw its appeal to the European Court of Justice and pay its fine of 13 billion euros as quickly as possible.” Attac did not elaborate regarding whether any of its members owned or used any Apple products.
