Apple finds itself at the center of a scandal involving its Matching Grants program, with approx 50 employees fired for alleged fraud related to the charitable donation system. Six of these ex-employees have been formally charged with tax crimes, further worsening the situation.
The program of Matching Grants of Apple was introduced in 2018 by CEO Tim Cook as an initiative to encourage employees to support charitable causes. The company pledges to donate two dollars for every dollar contributed by employees to qualified charities, up to a maximum of $10,000 per year per employee.
For example, an employee who donates $10,000 to a charity receives an additional $20,000 contribution from Apple, bringing the total for the cause to $30,000. A significant gesture, which reflects Apple’s commitment to communities.
As reported by India Todaysome employees allegedly collaborated with nonprofit organizations to create fake donations and obtain Apple’s matching funds. Here’s how the alleged scheme worked:
- Employees donated sums of money to specific nonprofit organizations.
- Apple, as scheduled, matched the donation with double the amount.
- The organizations involved returned the initial sums to the employees, allowing them to keep Apple’s donations.
If these allegations are confirmed, it would not only be a violation of company policies, but also a tax fraudsince the employees would have benefited from tax relief on non-existent donations.
The charges involve a total sum of approximately $152,000 raised over three years. This scheme would then defraud Apple and the State of California, which granted tax breaks based on fictitious donations.
Currently, six former employees have been formally charged with tax crimes and further investigations are underway to assess the involvement of other individuals or organizations.
Apple has not made any official comments on the specific case, but has always stressed the importance of maintaining high ethical standards within the company. This scandal represents a challenge to the image of the company, which promoted the program as a symbol of its commitment to social causes.
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Source: www.iphoneitalia.com
