Microsoft Told to Put Up or Shut Up on Nevada Tax Dodge Issue

Beginning with the publication of Citizen Microsoft in Seattle Weekly in 2004, I've reported that Microsoft used its Nevada office to avoid payment of the state's Royalty Tax from 1998 - 2010. I've blogged that the amount of the tax dodge has likely exceeded $1.07 billion (not including penalties). 

Last week, after John Burbank, Executive Director of the Economic Opportunity Institute, wrote an editorial condemning the company's hypocritical record of tax dodging while advocating for more education funding, Jeffrey Reading, Microsoft's Senior PR Manager wrote The Herald to refute the claims Burbank made (Burbank based his article on my reporting):

"Mr. Burbank does not include sourcing to support his claims regarding Microsoft’s Nevada licensing, which is part of a very complicated piece of state tax law. Much of the information regarding this issue is misinformation primarily spread by a blogger, and no state official has ever provided any factual data supporting his claims."

I stand behind my research and all of my claims. If Microsoft wishes to prove that it paid Washington State Royalty Taxes during the years 1998 - 2010, it should disclose its worldwide licensing revenue and its Royalty Tax payments for this time period. It would be quite simple for the company to provide these two sets of numbers and would put the issue to rest once and for all (as I have done here). 

Read: To Refute Claims, Microsoft Should Disclose Its Royalty Tax Payments

John Burbank Tells Legislature to Target Microsoft

In his Everett Herald column today, John Burbank, Executive Director of the Economic Opportunity Institute, zeroes in on Microsoft's tax dodge and its harmful effects on the state's educational system. Read more

Now for what really matters...

I've posted some personal thoughts on today's national elections up at Tales of Change: Now for what really matters... It's reflective in part of watching Microsoft get its way in Washington State in this last legislative session. Hope you'll take a look.

iPad Byline for Google Reader Not in the Near Pipeline

Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like ByLine will have an iPad application up very soon. Their support contact answered very quickly but the news isn't encouraging:

"We will be working on a version of the app for iPad, however we are currently working on the final touches of Byline 3.0 and will commence work after it's release.

Absolutely understandable. Unfortunately I have no ETA. Sorry I dislike giving such vague responses, however we have not looked at the iPad specifically re: software development as yet, given our focus is on the release of Byline 3.0. It is therefore difficult to give an ETA as we are not certain at this stage just how much work (and time) will be involved in developing an adapted version of Byline for iPad."

Based on this, I'm considering NetNewswire although early reports say that application is quite buggy as well. 

You can use Byline in iPhone mode.

See my earlier roundup: iPad News Reader Applications with Google Reader Support

Cyber-Security Czar Howard A. Schmidt Needs Help with His Website

 Apparently the corporate website for Howard A. Schmidt, the new Cyber Security Czar, remains under construction (via Seattle Weekly) . While the Washington Post reports "Schmidt's resume reflects experience in the private sector, law enforcement and government," his website would not get him in the door for an interview in most private sector IT firms. 

The site is powered by 1&1's Website Builder but unfinished. While many of us own domains that we don't run completed sites on, this appears to be the home page for his R&H Security Consulting LLC. He was previously hired by the Bush Administration as an advisor on cyber security issues.

Judgement day for Microsoft: Amanda Congdon Reports on Microsoft's Tax Dodge

For more information, please visit the Microsoft Tax Dodge website:

Be sure to follow AmazingAmanda and SometimesDaily on Twitter!

How We Caught Missing Wired Magazine Writer Evan Ratliff

In case you missed it, I helped track Evan Ratliff to New Orleans and notified Naked Pizza, an amazing group of folks, who then tracked Evan down in person at a nearby book reading to win the contest.

Please check out the following links:

• How We Caught Missing Wired Magazine Writer Evan Ratliff

• Media Roundup of all the Post-Vanish Contest Appearances by Evan, et al.

• NewsCloud Launches Quick Response VanishTeam Facebook Application to Find Evan Ratliff in Wired's Vanish Competition

Seattle, show your support for Mike McGinn on Facebook

Add Mike McGinn to your Facebook profile photo via The Needle's profile customization feature:

Top Twitter Users (Twitterers) in Seattle

The Needle now offers a real time feed of pertinent Seattle twitterers at http://seaneedle.com/tweets:

This is a page that shows tweets in real time from a hand selected group of Twitterers for the city and region around Seattle. The viewer can also filter this by topic e.g. media, culture, people, tech, etc. 

This page gives the viewer a good idea of what's happening in their city from a variety of public officials, government entities, personalities, etc. without requiring them to follow all of these on their own Twitter account. It's also a great way to discover new local twitterers you may want to follow. 

While a hash tag works well sometimes, this page eliminates the unwanted spam/overposts at #seattle - I'm talking to you News4Seattle (news spammer).

David Pogue goes after wasteful voice mail greetings - Take Back the Beep

Interesting contrast this week between Pogue's common sense call for cell subscribers to be able to turn off their wasteful generic voice mail instructions (which cost us nationally) in comparison to centrist and liberal American's call for common sense health care coverage in Congress. I think Pogue's been more effective...  

Over the past week, in The New York Times and on my blog, I’ve been ranting about one particularly blatant money-grab by American cellphone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions.

Do we really need to be told to hang up when we’re finished!? Would anyone, ever, want to “send a numeric page?” Who still carries a pager, for heaven’s sake? Or what about “leave a callback number?” We can SEE the callback number right on our phones!

Second, we’re PAYING for these messages. These little 15-second waits add up–bigtime. If Verizon’s 70 million customers leave or check messages twice a weekday, Verizon rakes in about $620 million a year. That’s your money. And your time: three hours of your time a year, just sitting there listening to the same message over and over again every year.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/the-mandatory-15-second-voicemail-instructions