苹果爱尔兰“总部”探秘

    在本周举行的网络峰会（Web Summit）上，主办方都柏林的官员们不遗余力地向科技公司强调其除税收政策之外的入驻优势——例如爱尔兰不仅是欧盟区唯一的英语国家，还拥有欧洲最年轻的人口。大量美国公司的涌入已经对这个国家造成了举足轻重的影响。爱尔兰工业发展局（IDA）主管新兴业务的副主席巴瑞•奥多德说：“这已成为我国经济的根基所在，正因如此，我国的经济才走出了衰退。”

    但对于跨国公司来说，爱

    尔兰的税收制度确实是个大便宜。如果一家公司在爱尔兰从事研究与开发业务，它的企业所得税总额将会被降低25%。据奥多德透露，苹果公司从这些政策中获得了大量好处，它的企业所得税被降至“个位数”。九家稍小型的美国科技公司于上周三晚间也宣布要将各自的欧洲运营中心设于爱尔兰，此举将为爱尔兰当地带来约300个就业机会。

    美国的议员们为苹果公司的低税率火冒三丈之时，爱尔兰这个奋力爬出经济衰退泥潭国家却并不打算立刻摒弃自己所有的税收刺激政策。肯尼首相上周三对我们的记者说，“爱尔兰肯定会对税率进行管控”，比如说，提高企业所得税。

    上周二，库克郡，施工队正在为苹果公司总部外为新大楼做最后的收尾工作，这座看起来有办公区双倍大小的庞大建筑很快便能完全竣工。事到如今，“双层爱尔兰”模式很可能就此消逝；而苹果公司却似乎打定主意要在这里生根落户。（财富中文网）

    译者：倪礼雯

    Officials in Dublin, who have been playing host this week to the city's huge Web Summit, like to stress the attractions other than taxes that have lured tech companies to Ireland, like being the Eurozone's sole English-speaking country, and having the continent's youngest population. The influx of U.S. companies into Ireland has been crucial for the country. "It's the bedrock of our economy now," says Barry O'Dowd, senior vice president for IDA's emerging business division. "It has what has brought us out of the recession."

    But for multinationals, Ireland's tax structure is a sweet deal. Among the benefits is a 25% cut on corporate tax bills if companies do R&D in Ireland. O'Dowd says Apple has benefited from those incentives, bringing its corporate tax rate down to "high single digits." On Wednesday evening, nine smaller U.S. tech companies announced they were opening their European operations in Ireland, together hiring about 300 people.

    While the Senate fumes about Apple's small tax rates, Ireland -- which is digging out from a deep recession -- is not about to scrap all of its tax incentives any time soon. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Kenny told us journalists that "there is no question of letting Ireland's tax rate be pressured," for example, by raising its corporate tax rates.

    In Cork on Tuesday, construction crews outside Apple HQ were putting the finishing touches to the company's new building, a sprawling three-story structure which looks likely to double the company's office space. The Double Irish might be on its way out. Apple, on the other hand, seems set to stay.