[chris_t]

This is the key point that is so often missed. Getting angry at Apple et al for following their incentives rationally is silly.

I'd love to see journalists doing a better job of explaining the failures of the tax system rather than peddling pointless outrage, but I suppose that they too are following their incentives rationally; outrage gets more clicks.

[dontreact]

It's not silly. It's the first step in a long chain of events that hopefully will end up with a better tax code. Giving companies that do this bad PR incentivizes companies towards reporting loopholes instead of exploiting them.

Journalists already do try and explain the failures of the tax system. For example, check out this graphic: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/04/28/business/Doubl...

The tax code is complicated and boring and people would much rather read articles with outrage directed specifically at companies.

Should I say that you're silly for getting angry at journalists for following their incentives rationally?

[chris_t]

I agree that I'm being a little silly, it's what my last line hinted at! I do think outrage is better directed at our legislators than at corporations though, but I don't hold out hope for substantive change either way.

[dontreact]

I don't think outrage is better directed at legislators until there is some consensus on what would be changes to the tax code that would help alleviate this problem. I think we're a couple of steps from that and I see no reason why we shouldn't get angry at the large companies until they help us with that step. After all: they are the experts on loopholes and tax evasion!

[johannes1234321]

Being angry at Apple can turn it into a value to behave "nice" If consumers decide to buy products of companies which don't play such tricks then we get the free market way of changing the behavior of those companies (... while it's unlikely to really have impact as along as everybody does it and consumers want cheap products)

[BearGoesChirp]

>Getting angry at Apple et al for following their incentives rationally is silly.

That logic doesn't work because people do get mad at things they view as wrong even if they are currently legal (or were legal when they happened). In this case, people thing Apple has done wrong regardless of the legality of the action.