Steve Wozniak expressed his dismay over Apple's tax affairs, stating that the company and all other companies should be paying 50 percent in taxes like individuals do.
"I don't like the idea that Apple might be unfair - not paying taxes the way I do as a person. I do a lot of work, I do a lot of travel and I pay over 50 per cent of anything I make in taxes and I believe that's part of life and you should do it," Wozniak said during his stint at BBC Radio 5 Live.
Wozniak said that every single company in the world should pay 50 percent.
Woz said that when he and Steve Jobs started the company 40 years ago, money was never a factor. "Steve Jobs started Apple Computers for money, that was his big thing and that was extremely important and critical and good."
The company has received criticisms with regard to its tax affairs. Furthermore, Apple has been accused of utilizing tax shelters in order to protect its revenues.
"The company, sometimes said to be the richest in the world, is being investigated over claims it uses Ireland and Luxembourg to get tax breaks," Yahoo UK reports. Apple is paying only two percent, more or less, of taxes in Ireland. However, there are speculations that the company has offshore cash reserves of about $200bn, which are beyond the reach of US tax officials.
Other individuals believe that the investigations could lead to Apple paying $8bn in back taxes, even if the case is filed against the Irish government.
"Under the EU's state aid rules, national authorities cannot take measures allowing certain companies to pay less tax than they should if the tax rules of the state were applied in a fair and non-discriminatory way," The Register reports.
Ireland government, on the other hand, is confident that "there is no breach of state aid rules in this case."
Wozniak left the Apple company in 1985. He is now focusing on charity projects ensuring computers are accessible in schools.
