Proprietary Software: Microsoft's Tax Crimes and the Risk of SaaS
-
Pro Publica ☛ Senators Question KPMG Role in Microsoft Profit-Shifting Scheme
Last month, Microsoft disclosed that the IRS had sent the company a bill for $28.9 billion in back taxes as part of an audit. The examination, which began more than a decade ago, is the largest in the agency’s history, and it’s far from over, as Microsoft has vowed to appeal the findings.
The centerpiece of the audit, as ProPublica detailed in an investigation nearly four years ago, is a 2005 transaction that moved tens of billions of Microsoft’s U.S. profits to Puerto Rico to help the software giant save billions in taxes. In a letter sent Wednesday, three senators, citing ProPublica’s reporting, focused attention on the company that helped Microsoft cook up that scheme: the mega-consultancy KPMG.
-
Tedium ☛ A Note On Note Apps
You shouldn’t rely on a SaaS-based note-taking application, in my view, and if you buy something, buy it outright. Here’s why.
For a couple of years, I was a big Evernote user, because I thought the general idea behind it was pretty good. Having a centralized place for your thoughts to live is great!