Lawmakers grill Apple CEO

Apple faced a Senate hearing after it was accused of moving money overseas to avoid U.S. taxes. CNN's Joe Johns reports.

美国国会称，苹果公司利用美国税法漏洞，过去两年在美国避税125亿美元，国会将召开听证会展开调查。对此，苹果公司CEO蒂姆·库克坚决否认采用“避税伎俩”，并呼吁美国政府改革税制。除苹果外，谷歌、微软、星巴克及其他一些公司也面临着避税质询。

美国国会报告指出，苹果通过众多的海外联营公司避税，以苹果位于以色列的一家附属公司为例，该公司2011年赚取了220亿美元，却仅仅上缴了1000万美元税款。报告预计，苹果2011年和2012年在美国分别避税30亿美元、90亿美元。

Please stand and raise your right hand.
The head of America's most iconic technology company got a grilling from lawmakers on Capital Hill Tuesday. At an issue whether Apple try to avoid paying its fair share of taxes.
Can you understand there is a perception of unfair advantage here?
Honestly speaking i don't see it as being unfair, i am not an unfair person, and that's not who we are as a company.
Citing a committee report senators accused the tech company of keeping income overseas to avoid paying US taxes. Apple has $144 billion in cash, but $100 billion of that is overseas, and not subject to the 35% corporate tax rate.
Apple has arranged matters so that it can claim that these ghost companies for tax purposes exist nowhere.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company is simply expanding into foreign markets, he cited the $6 billion in US taxes, the iphone and ipad maker paid last two years.
Apple has real operations in real places with Apple employees selling real products to real customers, we pay all of the taxes we own, every single dollar, we not only comply with the laws, but we comply with the spirit of the laws.
Coming to Apple's aid outspoken Republican senator Ryan Paul complaining about the clunky tax code and defending the tech giant's tax strategy.
I'm offended by our $4 trillion government bullying, berating and badgering one of the America's greatest success stories, you know tell me one of these politicians up here who doesn't minimize their taxes, tell me a chief financial officer that you would hire if you didn't try to minimize your taxes legally.
But senator John McCan couldn't let Cook leave without getting to the heart of the matter.
What I really want to ask is why the hell i have to keep updating the apps on my iphone all the time, and why you don't fix that.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washinton.