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Comment by iooi | Hacker News Reader

Doesn't almost every multinational use this arrangement, commonly known as the Double Irish? Why is Facebook getting called out specifically?

Surprised the article doesn't mention this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Irish_arrangement#Multi...

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Regardless of any particular politics, they seem like a politically expedient target. Everybody hates them (while using their products, which is funny), and they aren't a big government contractor.

On the other hand, if this is done for political purposes with demands, then Facebook's problem will go away when they capitulate. That will mean that they can continue doing what they were doing. If they're actually guilty then they should be punished.

Indeed. I think politicians understand better than anybody that optics now are a better expedient than results later.

And, to get explicitly political for a second, you don't have to look any further than the events of the last few days to see how little interest this administration has in the rule of law.

Disclaimer: I have no idea why this particular thing is happening, what the motives behind it are, etc. Everything above this paragraph in this comment is meant in the general sense. This IRS action seems to fit a pattern, that's all.

Some of us do not like the dumpster fire and do not warm ourselves with it.

Also the fact that everybody hates and uses it would be ironic and sad, not funny.

Not everyone™

Extra large multinationals such as FB, AAPL have negotiated special tax incentive packages beyond the standard Double Irish.

Apple dealt with the EU over this in 2016 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_illegal_State_aid_case_agai...

> Why is Facebook getting called out specifically?

As opposed to rounding them all up at the same time? Maybe it's just easier to go after one at a time?

Yeah the IRS budget has been intentionally slashed over the years to make their job enforcing the tax code harder. It's part of why they go after low return audits on low or middle income people so much more than against corporations and the rich, rich people and corporations have the money to hire lawyers to draw out cases where poorer people don't so auditing 10 Etna's is 100x easier than going after a company with a complicated tax evasion scheme.

You have to start somewhere. It seems like a good choice.

I recall reading that because of how much the IRS budget has gotten smaller, they have a harder time pursuing many of the larger violations (such as this) which can be very complex to investigate. A consequence of that is when they can pursue something like this, they need to create some big headlines to show the public their value (and hopefully get a budget increase) while keeping other bad actors in check.

You’re right. We should do this to all of them until they stop.

The double Irish is no more. Perhaps FB has been slow to restructure, or resistant.

Correct -- Double Irish is no more as of December 31st 2019. It was closed a few years ago but not with immediate effect.

Why shouldn't the biggest offender get targeted first?

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