There's another way to twist that: cheating the people out of their government's revenue is a fine way to build up negative goodwill. That has a longer term cost.
There was a recent incident in France in which people protested outside an Apple store for them to "pay their taxes."
Apple wasn't explicitly breaking the law, however customers are entitled to vote with their wallets, and showing their vote will likely have some effect on the company.
I'm not saying that one protest will have a massive impact on Apple's bottom line; just that:
1. protesting is a sign that the tax issue is an area customers care about, and those out protesting are likely a very small minority of those who feel that way.
2. the act of companies' feigned goodwill for a net profit could extend to any area customers care about, including legal vs ethical tax practices.
There was a recent incident in France in which people protested outside an Apple store for them to "pay their taxes."
Apple wasn't explicitly breaking the law, however customers are entitled to vote with their wallets, and showing their vote will likely have some effect on the company.