Corporate welfare in action ....

I said this now a dozen times. I don't know how many times I have to type the exact same thing to you, before you get it.

In the broad context of the free market, these deals are completely and entirely irrelevant. Again, I'm talking specifically about ....

The think the reason I'm not responding to these parts of your posts is that they have nothing to do with my argument. You're posting at length about details that, from my perspective, are completely irrelevant. It doesn't matter to me whether a given tax incentive manipulates taxpayers a little or lot, whether it impacts many or few, or whether you think its effects are positive or negative.

To me it's like justifying government censorship based on the merits of the situation - how many people it impacts, whether it prevents uprisings, etc.... I think economic freedom is even more fundamental than freedom of speech, and the government that would violate it even more dangerous than one that violates freedom of speech.

Again, there is no real claim to be made that it has any effect on the wider economy. If you could make that case, I'd listen.

Let me get this straight. Are you saying there's no effect on the wider economy? Or are you saying it's negligible, because those are very different claims. The "wider economy" is an aggregate local economies, so it's hard to see how you could back up the claim that there is no effect at all.

This is a lot like the arguments over minimum wage. Advocates claim that, because there isn't strong statistical evidence showing negative repercussions, then there aren't any. They make this argument to justify raising minimum wage higher and higher. The more reasonable proponents will at least acknowledge that there are negative side effects, but argue that they are compensated for by claimed benefits.

I don't see these as a violation of economic freedom, because no one has been denied any freedom. You can choose to not take the deal, which Apple denied taking several other deals.

Until you can show me that they didn't have the ability to choose... then your argument is empty to me.

Freedom is more than merely having the ability to choose. Freedom means your choices aren't coerced by others. When the tax code, or whoever is writing your custom exemption to tax law, stipulates that you will be taxed at a much higher rate if you don't do what they want - that' s essence of coercion. It's the state bullying businesses with its taxation power. And it's businesses colluding with government for special favors.
 

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