IRS Wants A Lot More Than a Coke and a Smile From Coca-Cola, Co.

The Coca-Cola, Co. wants everyone to share a Coke and a smile but the IRS just wants the soft drink company to share it’s profits with the government, in the form of it’s tax bill. The IRS claims that the company has skipped out on more than $3 billion in taxes and interest due from money it earned in foreign countries. According to reports, the IRS audited Coca-Cola for the tax years 2007, 2008 and 2009. The IRS claims that the results of that audit show that the soft drink maker owes $3.3 billion in missed taxes.

So far, the IRS has not threatened Cola-Cola with any penalties. However, the agency has reportedly informed the company that it has recommended to its top lawyer that the case be litigated. For its part, Coke says that the agency’s claims have no merit. Coke is not the first American company to face these kinds of charges from the IRS, as the agency continues to fight large U.S. corporations over tax dollars for profits earned overseas. Microsoft and Amazon are also facing similar claims form the IRS.

A Coca-Cola spokesperson said that the company plans to fight the allegations and do whatever it takes legally to resolve this matter with the IRS. U.S. Corporations must pay the IRS as much as 35 percent of their total profits from around the world in taxes. However, they do not have to pay the tax on foreign profits until they move the money to the U.S. But, because the U.S. charges so much in corporate taxes, many companies simply choose to leave their foreign profits in the countries where they were earned.

Posted in ,
Corporate Tax Planning: Mergers, Acquisitions and Reorganizations

Tax Topics Business Owners Need to Know

Being the owner of a small business can be very rewarding, but very challenging at the same time. One of the biggest challenges small business owners face is dealing with taxes. There are countless items to keep track of and monitor with small business taxes, but these are some of the most important issues to…

Top Tax-Saving Moves Used By High Net Worth Individuals

One of the biggest complaints certain groups or individuals have against the wealthy is that they can take advantage of too many tax breaks and loopholes to lower their tax bill. So what are some of the top tax strategies that high net worth individuals use to keep their tax rates down, and could anyone…

Should University Donations Trigger Tax Breaks for the Wealthy?

Universities big and small receive donations from many different sources, including wealthy alumni. However, not all donations are created equal and because the wealthy donors get a huge tax break for their significant donations, some wonder if that is really fair. For example, Nike co-founder, Phil Knight, recently donated $400 million to Stanford, where he…

Money-Saving Tips for Freelancers

When you hear the term freelancer, you might think of someone working a small business out of his or her home and just doing things on the fly. However, freelancers come in all forms and many owners of small businesses or startups are also freelancers. Being a freelancer means you are self-employed and being self-employed…