U.S. Quietly Sided With Tax-Avoiding Companies

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) The Obama administration quietly handed a victory to U.S. companies that avoid taxes by claiming a foreign address, suggesting that virtually all of them are still eligible for government contracts.

The Department of Homeland Security last year endorsed a legal memorandum that argued in part that a 2002 law banning such companies from federal contracts was invalid, according to a copy of the memo obtained by Bloomberg News. Although President Barack Obama later began publicly criticizing the tax maneuvers known as inversions, there’s no sign that he has reversed the department’s decision.

The March 2013 memo was submitted to Homeland Security by one of the country’s largest inverted companies, the manufacturer Ingersoll-Rand Plc. The company argued in part that U.S. trade agreements with foreign governments invalidated the law that would prohibit it from winning federal contracts.

In a written response last year, a Homeland Security lawyer cleared Ingersoll-Rand for government work without explaining his reasoning, saying only that “we do not have reason to disagree” with the company’s argument. While it was known that Ingersoll-Rand received a green light, it hadn’t been reported that the government accepted a line of reasoning that called the whole law into question. ..................(more)

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-06/u-s-sided-with-tax-avoiding-companies-over-contracting-ban

[brentspeak]

1. Obama's administration, no less corrupt than Bush's (n/t)

[FlatBaroque]

2. The corruption is baked into the system

i.e., it is institutionalized. Mary Jo White still has her job. WHat does that say?

[hifiguy]

12. The plutocrats own both parties

and have for quite a while. Anyone who can breathe should have seen this much. Jeez Louise.

[cstanleytech]

8. No, the problem is still the republicans mainly.

I suspect if we had a clear majority in both houses and if the republicans had no way to stonewall or block the democrats that things would probably have been alot better for the country, sadly though that didnt happen and we have all seen how spiteful and full of racism and hate that the republican party is full of.

[brentspeak]

9. What does Congress have to do

with something which the White House is doing?

[cstanleytech]

10. So you dont think that they have any influence? Really?

[brentspeak]

11. How did Congress influence the White House here?

[cstanleytech]

14. No way that I can prove of course but really saying you dont think they couldnt or wouldnt?

I mean come on this is the same party that held a gun to the nations head a few years ago over the budget when the president wouldnt back down and they caused a shutdown.

[brentspeak]

15. The Executive branch is not controlled by Congress

Anything that the Obama administration does outside legislation is entirely its own doing. Congress, the Republicans, Daffy Duck...are not responsible for any action taken by the administration and its departments.

[cstanleytech]

17. I said influence, thats not the same as control.

[Octafish]

3. Something ain't right.

Aren't tax-dodgers a bad thing?

[Rex]

4. Only the easy ones to catch and prosecute, like the average worker.

Corporations are just about (if they are big enough) immune to all the laws that govern the little people.

[Octafish]

5. Didn't it used to be that Rich People didn't deserve more because they own more stuff?

I'm confused, Rex. It's like the Democrats are trying to out-lick the Republicans in licking the hobnailed boots and stuff.

This Administration forgave the individual tax dodgers and jailed the whistleblower who outted the turds.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x636228

So what if my vote counts just as much as the billionaire's, when the rich guy can afford to get Washington to go along with what's best for him?

[hifiguy]

13. He has never been working for us.

NEVER.

[marmar]

6. At least we don't live in a faux democracy or anything

Last edited Mon Jul 6, 2015, 03:07 PM - Edit history (1)

[Octafish]

7. When the people don't get cut in on decision making, there's a problem.

As I'm old, I remember it starting on Nov. 22, 1963. Now, as Frank Zappa observed, "Politics is the entertainment division of the Military Industrial Complex."

[CharlotteVale]

16. Taxes are for the little people.