Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by kube-system on Sunday April 05, 2020 @01:24PM
(#22786906)
I'm just about ready to file my taxes -- which deductions are the immoral ones?
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Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by z3t4 on Sunday April 05, 2020 @01:39PM
(#22787006)
Move (on paper) to a country that doesn't tax offshore, then base your company on some island. Have offices in every major city, then send all net income to your offshore company. Make max tax reduction in the countries you operate and get financial aid from the tax money others pay.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by Tempest1981 on Sunday April 05, 2020 @02:39PM
(#22787449)
True. The cruise lines did this, although now it may come back to haunt them, assuming they are unable to lobby for US government aid.
> U.S. Royal Caribbean is based in Liberia, Norwegian Cruise Lines is based in Bermuda, and Carnival/Princess is based in Panama.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by kube-system on Sunday April 05, 2020 @02:06PM
(#22787211)
Avoiding taxes by relocating is not just for big businesses. It’s super easy to do today in the golden age of remote work.
Plenty of people have left CA for UT/NV to do the same.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by ivalm on Sunday April 05, 2020 @02:14PM
(#22787276)
But then that’s a physical move. Plenty of companies have their executives/leadership in a location that is different from the taxable entity. If all the headquarters and executives physically resided in Caiman islands or Ireland or even Delaware, it would be different.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by kube-system on Sunday April 05, 2020 @02:42PM
(#22787478)
Yes, it’s easier for businesses to relocate than people. This is an issue of physicality, not morality. If we drive into the specifics, it’s not hard to illustrate that businesses are fundamentally different in nature than people. My point is that tax avoidance is commonplace for individual returns as well.
The solution to all of this is to fix the tax code to represent what we actually intended, not blame those who are following the rules.
Tax is simply math, calling tax avoidance immoral is as silly as calling encryption immoral.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by z3t4 on Sunday April 05, 2020 @03:28PM
(#22787881)
It's not like the law makers are unaware of the loop-holes, but by making the rules more complicated you increase the cost of doing business, to the degree that you benefit from economy of scale, meaning the big companies still wins.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by opless on Sunday April 05, 2020 @02:36PM
(#22787416)
You'll find that many rich folk are non-doms in the country they reside in for tax purposes also.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by harimau777 on Sunday April 05, 2020 @02:39PM
(#22787452)
I don't think it's necessarily that any single deduction or tax incentive is immoral. Rather, it could be immoral when, taken together, they mean that a corporation does not pay its fair share.
More specifically, I think the immorality comes when someone who already is able to provide for themselves is enriched at the expense of societies ability to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by kube-system on Sunday April 05, 2020 @02:51PM
(#22787549)
I agree. But who bears the responsibility for that immorality? The smallest single group with the power to actually rectify the situation is Congress.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by harimau777 on Sunday April 05, 2020 @04:00PM
(#22788162)
I'd say a combination of congress and corporations.
Re:Biggest companies pay the least tax, shows new research
by DangitBobby on Sunday April 05, 2020 @01:38PM
(#22786996)
The ones that you lobbied for and that ultimately cause significant underfunding and dysfunction at all levels of government.