Apple is today touting a lot of new stats regarding Apple’s contribution to European economies. The company has done similar things for the United States, in the past. For Europe, Apple claims to have created or supported 629,000 jobs across Europe, with over 500,000 of those representing the ‘app economy’. Apple says this number is made up of employees whose jobs can be directly attributed to the App Store. Out of $20 billion in worldwide developer earnings, $6.5 billion has gone to European developers.
In 2014, Apple estimates the ‘app economy’ will add $86 billion to worldwide GDP this year. Aside from the App Store, Apple employees 16,000 Europeans directly and indirectly supports a total of 132,000 jobs elsewhere. The company has also calculated that 116,000 European jobs have been created at other companies as a result of Apple’s growth.
Apple also says that there are 280,500 members of Apple’s paid developer program, including 52,200 in Germany and 30,000 in France, which have shared the $6.5 billion in App Store income, discussed above. It also estimates that there are over 20,000 iOS development jobs available now in the region.
Apple pays special attention to Cork in Ireland, which has been criticised in the past for servicing Apple’s tax avoidance schemes. Approximately 10 percent of Apple’s worldwide corporate employees are in Cork. Apple is “thrilled to continue expanding in Cork with its new facility”, which will feature solar panels, roof-based rainwater harvesting and other environmental initiatives.
Apple also highlights its European retail stores as well as its suppliers, which handle manufacturing, materials and assembly. In total, Apple relies on 4,500 suppliers based in Europe. The company has 101 retail stores across eight countries in Europe, which each hire an average of 100 people.
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That’s nice, but they should still pay their taxes in Europe. Apple’s profits are so gargantuan, so obscene, that for them to continue to use tax loopholes to avoid paying corporation tax and sales tax is totally indefensible.
Now I await someone to say it’s Apple duty to their shareholders to exploit every tax evasion scheme they can and so on, but you know what, I’d sooner the money they owe went to pay for hospitals and schools. Maybe I’m just old fashioned and still have a social conscience.
Corporations shouldn’t pay taxes. It’s double taxation and just gets passed on to the consumer anyway.
Or you can chose to see the higher bit order and encourage success: 629,000 jobs generates a sizable amount of (respective country’s) income tax. And sales tax on $6.5 Billion in sales generates a lot of VAT. Assuming 15% VAT, that’s $975,000,000. Per year. #occupymacroeconomics101
Apple does not evade taxes, it avoids them. The latter is both legal and part of the corporation’s fiduciary duty. You should also be aware that Apple is pays more corporate income tax than any other corporation in the U.S., over $6 billion in 2012 alone. That’s a fair number of “hospitals and schools,” Inaba…
It is the instructions to make the BUZZ way Apple….
As INCREDIBLE July for AppStor… And AAPL remains stable with the announcement of the iPhone 6….
Android ( Google) detains 70 % of the European market… There are 0 Android applications made in Europe?
Ego much? Apple are in no way responsible for the 500,000 people employed in the ‘app economy’.
Really, Andrew? Why, then, did Apple pay out $6.5 billion to app developers?
Great story… But Its ironic how in that graphic made by apple showing Europe, it shows the island of Ireland way out of scale… Ireland is tiny and yet in this graphic is looks about ¾s the size of Spain & Portugal!