“No, Apple is not destroying the fabric of America. But I do wish they’d be manufacturing some of their devices, here, in the United States rather than in China. And I do wish that they would not be trying to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.”
— Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator and Democratic presidential hopeful, speaking to the New York Daily News editorial board last week.
Sanders is famously critical of corporate America. And his comment about Apple is similar to what Republican presidential candidate front-runner Donald Trump has said about the Silicon Valley giant. (“We’re going to get Apple to build their damn computers in this country instead of other countries.”)
Apple has heard it all before. CEO Tim Cook has defended both his company’s manufacturing practices and corporate tax citizenship on television (for example, on “60 Minutes”) and elsewhere, including in front of Congress. Cook and others have cited the global economy and China’s manufacturing prowess — Cook calls it “skill” while others call it cheap labor — as a part of the “reality” of why so many companies make their products in that part of the world.
Cook has also called accusations that the company doges taxes “total political crap.” He maintains that Apple pays its fair share, and that the U.S. tax code needs an overhaul. A study released in fall 2015 said Apple was holding $181 billion in profit offshore.
Meanwhile, others point out that Apple does make some of its products in the United States — including the Mac Pro, which is made in Austin — and that some parts, materials and equipment used to make its products are made in this country. In December, Apple released a report touting its U.S. economic impact, saying that it has helped create nearly 2 million jobs, including because of its vast iOS ecosystem.
Photo: Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during a town hall on MSNBC Thursday, Feb. 18, 2016. (John Gurzinski/AFP/Getty Images)
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