Does Apple pay enough in taxes?

We know that Apple Inc pays approximately $6 billion to the US Treasury (in 2012).

Is this enough? Too much?

At a market cap of $500 billion, Apple is the world's biggest public corporation. Yet the US government *overspends* in a literal two Apple Incs. That is, the annual deficit alone is more than the entire value of two Apples.

Considering the scope of the federal budget, we must ask: Is Apple paying its fair share? That's for each of us to decide, I suppose. I'm more interested in just how much Apple is *responsible* for just in direct US-based taxes. Tim Cook must have this number at the ready. Will he share it with us?

Consider...

• $6 billion per annum in federal corporate taxes
• How much in corporate and other (direct) taxes to California and Texas; their two primary bases of operation?
• There are nearly 300 Apple Stores in the US. What is the annual property tax bill on these? What are the other government levies for these?
• These US Apple Stores employ 30,000 human beings. How much do they each pay -- via their Apple wages -- on Social Security, Medicare, payroll taxes, income taxes (state and local and federal) and other taxes?
• There are another 20,000 or so employed (directly) by Apple. What is the annual tax bill for all of them?
• Any other taxes I'm missing? Any other groups?

Note: those who make Apple apps, for example, or who work for other companies that supply parts to Apple, I am not including. Only Apple.

The "average" tax bill for working Americans is 30% of their income (federal-state-local). If Apple employs 50,000 persons (directly) and they earn an average of $50,000 each per year...

50,000 x $50,000 = $2,500,000,000.

30% of $2.5 billion is...

$750 million.

I don't have numbers on property tax or state (or local) corporate tax, nor taxes on Apple's assets nor gains from all that cash on hand, nor those many fees on our wireless bills, but we can nonetheless assume that Apple is paying at least $7 billion in taxes into the US of A every single year.

What do you think? Is that fair?

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