The “Silicon Six” comprising Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Netflix, have been accused of avoiding nearly $278 billion in taxes in the last 10 years in the US.

A new study published by the non-profit Fair Tax Foundation (FTF) revealed that leading American tech giants gained nearly $300 billion in tax advantages in the last decade.

These companies, known as the “Silicon Six”, including Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Netflix, generated a total revenue of $11 trillion and a profit of $2.5 trillion during this period. However, the corporate tax rate paid by these giant companies fell significantly below the average of 29.7% considered for US companies. According to the research, the Six paid only an average of 18.8% in national and federal corporate taxes, dropping to 16.1% excluding some exceptions. FTF CEO Paul Monaghan stated, “Our analysis shows that tax avoidance continues to be integrated into corporate structures.” He highlighted that tech giants not only have economic but also significant political influence. Especially the close attitudes of names like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tim Cook to Donald Trump were emphasized in the report. Netflix was found to have the lowest tax rate paid (14.7%), followed by Meta (15.4%), Amazon (19.6%), and Microsoft (20.4%). The effective factors in achieving low tax rates included lower tax rates on foreign income and profits being shown in low-tax countries like Luxembourg. Spokespersons for Meta and Netflix speaking to The Independent emphasized that they comply with tax rules in every country they operate, while an Amazon spokesperson described the report as “highly misleading.” Amazon highlighted being a retailer with low profit margins and stated that they operate in accordance with rules set by lawmakers. The company announced investing over $1.2 billion in the US since 2010 and over 250 billion euros in Europe.