I mentioned the potential deal where Burger King would join forces with Canadian company Tim Hortons, which would mean the headquarters of the company would be in Canada and their corporate tax rate would be significantly lower than the US rate. Noah Rothman tongue in cheek referred to BK as an Enemy Of The State, and noted Joe Scarborough having a conniption fit over the news, saying he won’t go to BK anymore (if anyone still believes in Joe’s conservative cred, this should end the notion). But, of course, Joe isn’t a sitting US Senator
(Fox News) Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, released a statement Monday calling on consumers to boycott the home of the Whopper after Burger King announced late Sunday that it was in talks to buy Tim Hortons, creating the world’s third-largest fast-food company in the process. As part of the deal, Burger King would relocate its headquarters to Canada, a move that could lower its corporate taxes.
“Burger King’s decision to abandon the United States means consumers should turn to Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers or White Castle sliders,” Brown said. “Burger King has always said ‘Have it Your Way’; well my way is to support two Ohio companies that haven’t abandoned their country or customers.” Wendy’s is based in Dublin, Ohio, while White Castle is headquartered in Columbus.
Is it appropriate for a sitting US Senator to call for boycotting a company that is engaged in lawful activity? Where is the propriety of this conduct by Brown? Mika Brzezinski was the voice of reason on Scarborough’s show, suggesting that the corporate tax rate be lowered to compete. Perhaps Sherrod Brown should consider that before jumping on the boycott bandwagon.
https://twitter.com/humungoloid/status/503992282006421504
https://twitter.com/dredlockedrepub/status/504193690202828800
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Although, according to our Supreme Court, corporations are people, my friend; they are a special class of people. They can renounce their US citizenship but still exploit the obvious benefits of living and conducting business here. They use our roads, clean air, clean water, publicly educated work force, police, fire and military protections. Widget Inc. can shop the globe for the lowest corporate tax, but should you try to use Bulgaria’s 10% flat tax for your income tax…
Corporations have one principle: To maximize value to shareholders, within the confines of the law. They have no obligation to nations, citizens, the environment, governments or the world as a whole. They make money for investors, while protecting investors.
That said, it’s not clear if BK’s proposed whopper of a deal is only about taxes. So, slow down Senator.
Jeff,
You formed two corporations. Are you one of the dirty 1%. I am beginning to think so. Fact is that the US is taxing itself out of business. Unless we change our tax code and quit taking so much from everyone, we are destined to repeat the depression of the 30’s that was caused by FDR’s stupidity and adherence to a war on business and the people.
[…] William Teach wondered “Is it appropriate for a sitting US Senator to call for boycotting a company that is engaged in lawful activity?” No, it’s not appropriate, but since when has that ever stopped a Democrat before? […]
dave,
Yes, I am a dirty 1 percenter, and I pay a lot of taxes! But I can’t complain. I’ve worked hard but I’ve also been very, very fortunate. My parents were dirt poor but they gave me a lot that I cannot take personal responsibility for: I’m Caucasian, tall, average looking, above average IQ, no insurmountable inherited physical or mental disorders; and importantly I was born in the USA. Worked my way through a state college in the warehouse where my father was a salesman (another lucky break). That company gave considerable flexibility to the “college kids” work hours. I certainly could not have afforded an Ivy League education. It’s been a combination of hard-work, good luck in choosing my parents and the incredible good luck of being born and raised in the USA. I attended public schools grades 1-12, a state college and received gov’t scholarships/training grants and fellowships through grad school and post-doctoral training. I suspect many if not most 1 percenters have a similar tale. What surprises me is the disdain conservative 1 percenters have for the working poor, who are mostly guilty of not being as lucky as some of us.
So, I am grateful to the government for the helping hand and grateful for my good luck. I’m by no means exceptional. If I’d been born in East St. Louis to a single mom with a drug problem, I doubt seriously that I’d have had the same opportunities and outcome. Pure blind luck.
Because I’m grateful for my undeserved blind luck, I have no qualms in paying my taxes and helping others get lucky too.
Jeffrey — food for thought …
Before the govt mandated the unsafe, mercury filled light bulbs that require a hazmat clean-up when they break & the over heating LED lights; and we could still use the Edison light bulb, I was asked by the large company that made the light bulb blanks to examine their business, all their costs and their production processes to see how to reduce their costs to get competitive with Chinese imports.
Since they had a subsidiary in the PRC, comparable data was available from their manufacturing sites (as well as from one they owned in Europe). Only identical shapes were considered since there was significant speed impact as sizes changed.
My analysis showed that the second difference was manufacturing speeds (US & European operations used machines that made the blanks at about 2,100 pieces per minute for the “common” light bulb, while the PRC had newer machines making over 3,000). Since labor forces were about the same (although the Chinese plants had more technical staff overhead and the EU site had a larger maintenance force) this gave the PRC plants a big advantage. When asked why the newer, faster machines could not be installed in the US plants there answer was import tariffs protecting US machinery manufacturers; depreciation schedules that were much longer in the US; and EPA restrictions on production (more glass melted means more NOx / SOx and those exceeded Permit Limits set by Washington)
Think about that tariff issue. Some senator (who will remain nameless) but who has a D after his name and comes from a state with a lot of gambling (and one machinery company that made some glass equipment) pushed through a law that protects one company … but meant that the thousands of people employed by another company ended losing their jobs when their plants in the US closed.
To add insult to injury, the machinery company failed … but the tariff remains.
But the biggest issues was taxes — taxes on raw materials, on energy, on wages, on profits.
Remember that a light bulb blank is basically a hard balloon filled with air.
The experts in Washington made it so that it was 13% cheaper to package that air in China, put it in a container, ship it all the way across the Pacific Ocean, and truck it (further) to the assembly plants.
Jeff,
My goodness, I have the same, if not better credentials except I am short. But I know that you are not above IQ as you consistently fall for the fact that conservatives treat the poor in an ill fashion. You should know with your IQ that this was a fabrication by FDR for his social programs. Then, with your IQ, you would understand that high taxes don’t work and don’t allow economic recovery. Check out France recently. Check out any country, including the US when they have these policies.
J-“According to our Supreme Court, corporations are a special class of people. They can renounce their American citizenship, but still exploit the obvious benefits of living here..” What Burger King is supposedly doing now they could do before the Supreme Court decided that Corporations have the same free speech rights as individuals. For those like you who can’t seem to wrap their heads around this simple issue, Burger King is a tax issue, Citizen United was a free speech issue.