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Subject: 
Re: Finally some church/state mingling that I can really get behind!
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Thu, 14 Aug 2003 12:39:26 GMT
Viewed: 
408 times
  
Good points, but like most fictions in life, we stick to entity status for corporations because it largely works. For every bad corporation that makes the news, there are handfuls of good ones that promote employee welfare and good corporate citizenship.

Realistically, the sole purpose for a corporation to exist is to generate wealth for stockholders. That’s the legal purpose behind the establishment of a corporation; they’re in violation of their fiduciary duty to stockholders to do anything but attempt to create wealth. So it’s sort of like faulting an animal for eating and reproducing--to do aught else goes against their very nature.

The purpose of moving company headquarters offshore for many companies is to avoid paying taxes on the same profits to multiple countries. Say you own a corporation that has two divisions, one does business in Germany and one in the US. The headquarters are in the US. The German division pays German taxes; the US division pays US taxes. Then when the business moves the German division profits to its central headquarters, they’re taxed again by the US. Now take the same company, same divisions, headquartered in the Cayman Islands. German division pays German taxes; US division pays US taxes. Then profits pay Cayman Island taxes--a huge tax savings.

Recently a tool company--Stanley I believe--was attempting to move its HQ offshore. They were shamed into keeping it in the US. Some months later, they laid off several hundred workers--the price of keeping HQ in the US.

I do agree with limited liability as well. The company that I work for (very small computer consulting company) wouldn’t be in business without a limitation on liability...

But then you take a (expletive referring to legitimacy of birth) like Ken Lay from Enron. Justice isn’t served until his lifestyle is devastated to try to pay off some of the employees and stockholders that he ripped off. Criminal wrongdoing by a corporation should come down on the heads of those who perpetrate it, limited liability or no.



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Finally some church/state mingling that I can really get behind!
 
(...) Strongly disagree -- as you knew I would. Your statement ignores the social contract that corporations have with the societies that provide them with the fiction that makes any of their business possible in the first place. It is not for (...) (21 years ago, 14-Aug-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Finally some church/state mingling that I can really get behind!
 
(...) Paying one's "fair share" is only relevant to WHERE one owes it. I think you are failing to understand precisely why the royal family of England owns so much property in the U.S. -- because it's cheaper for them here than in their own country! (...) (21 years ago, 13-Aug-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

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