He said GE “might be paying no taxes because they’ve got special crony capitalistic favours from the government, and [are earning] certain tax credits because they’re investing in alternative energy”. In response, GE said it paid “significant income taxes in the US, and our US tax rate reflects laws that encourage investments supporting US jobs and economic growth”.
Mr Mackey, whose conservative views have in the past placed him at odds with customers of his food stores, said he thought Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, should have been “more aggressive” in laying out the company’s position at a US Senate committee hearing in May into corporate tax.