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Software Tariffs and US IT Outsourcing?
HeelToe asks: "A while back I worked with someone who thought the US should simply impose tariffs on imported products to adjust their price to equalize foreign labor rates to the US minimum wage. I was laid off and my position moved to Canada last year. Since then, I've thought a lot about his ideas, as well as one of our topics of conversation a while back: Why doesn't the US tax the import of software? It seems to me like they should. It's not a "tangible" product (same reason used to deny my co-workers and me NAFTA and Trade Act benefits), but when someone outsources to another country with cheap labor for any other industry, there are usually import tariffs. Why is software different, and how would this change the climate of US IT jobs leaving for other parts of the world if we did tax software imports? I've done some looking on the web, but can find nothing in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. I did find this thread from a few months back on informationweek.com's Career Development Forum, but not much else. What does Slashdot think?"
It'll only cost more to those who buy from outside the US, just the way it should. That's the point of the tax.
Hmmm... great software coming from another country. Let's think about that for a minute. I'm not a linux user (ie. zealot), but I suppose it's okay. That came from a geek in Europe. It was originated there and did not cost Americans their jobs. That's not so bad.
When a company pays an Indian (dots, not feathers) instead of paying an American, that's bad. Not to mention the fact that those filthy fuckers produce some seriously shitty quality code.
Sure, I'm a racist, and I hate them, but you can't really deny that those dirty bastards are pretty much incompetent.
This is certainly possible, but rather unlikely, I think. Feel free to debate this amongst yourselves.
First of all, learn to spell! The word is lose not loose (you made the same mistake twice, so you clearly think that's the way to spell it). Anyway, when a corporation is heavily taxed, that increases the cost to the consumer (which has a limit before the consumer decides not to bend over any farther). This basically ends up cutting into a corporation's margin. Do you really think they don't already charge you as much as possible just because there aren't any tariffs?
No wonder you don't know shit...
Down with Saudi Arabia!!!
Maybe the good ones elected not to work with someone whose smart-ass arrogance flashes like a neon sign.
Fuck them in the asshole