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Ballmer Threatens To Pull Out of the US
theodp writes "Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is threatening to move Microsoft employees offshore if Congress enacts President Obama's plans to curb tax avoidance by US corporations. 'It makes US jobs more expensive,' complained billionaire Ballmer. 'We're better off taking lots of people and moving them out of the US as opposed to keeping them inside the US.' According to 2006 reports, Microsoft transferred $16 billion in assets to secretive Dublin subsidiaries to shave billions off its US tax bill. 'Corporate tax is part of the overall advantage of doing business in Ireland,' acknowledged Ballmer in 2005. 'It would be disingenuous to say otherwise.'"
corporations corporations corporations corporations corporations corporations corporations corporations corporations...
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And I'm threatening to move to Linux.
Too bad Ballmer's father didn't pull out.
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- - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
Don't tease me like that unless you really mean it.
I live in Ireland. Should I be worried about flying chairs now?
It's just like moving rack mounted servers offshore. Just box them, ship them, and install in the new offices.
It's my assumption that while making the threat he was sweating profusely.
Looking for ways to make money for its greedy, greedy shareholders.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
On the other hand, Steve himself is a good candidate for the title "America's Asshole". I'm all for anyone with financial clout standing up to Obama and congress, but the enemy of my enemy is not automatically my friend.
Insightful and funny are really the same thing, except one has a punch line.
(face | fact | fall | farm | fear | fire | fish | flag | flat | fold | food | foot | fork | form | fowl | free | from | full) yeah!
Next time, just say 'fuck'.
Perhaps if MS was under the jurisdiction of the EU, they'll do what the DoJ should have done and will break it up into several MiniSofts.
Those would be "picosofts".
Do you have ESP?
Greed.
Greed never changes.
The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Gemany into an economic superpower. But greed never changes. In the 21st century, nations desired and aquired rapidly diminishing resources. Only this time, the price was the USA, taxes and kickbacks.
Owed billions, China would invade Alaska, Microsoft would move to Ireland, and the European Union would go "LOL FREEDOM" and tax Microsoft into oblivion. The end of the internet occured pretty much as we had predicted. In 2011, the storm of international piracy had come again. In two brief hours Lars Ulrich was reduced to a whimpering shell of a man sucking cock for wooden nickels. A great cleansing, no one would bail anyone out of this ever again. Nudes of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton interrupted every broadcast. Original content was no longer possible having reached a critical mass singularity of that damned cat.
Our nation was almost extinguished, the unemployed walking upstairs and shielding their eyes from the sunshine of a brand new world. Vlad farted. However, a few managed to survive the devistation, using GNU/Linux on thousands of underground rackmounted servers full of interracial futa doujin. When everyone shut the fuck up these vaults once again opened and their inhabitants emerged to begin their lives again. From the ashes of multinational corporations a new civilization would struggle to arise.
But the butthurt runs deep and Anonymous has not forgotten.
This is home. Your basement. And things are about to change.
Far more sensible for MS to move to Mumbai for most of their operations and keep the Dublin setup as it is. Staffing is cheap in Mumbai and there is a fast-growing computer/IT industry there and to top it all off a government that is willing to bend over backwards - for a small fee.
Sure! Why not.. Then we can see the irony of this happening: Tech Support Irony
"The truth points to itself." - Kosh, Babylon5
If there were a country with minimal tax, strong protection from the government, freedom to think and act - I know I would move there.
Better start packing then. This place is a Republican wet dream come true. Minimal taxes, practically no government, and a free market economy! Check out their site for tourists!
Dear Microsoft, You may move your business oversees and we may mandate a transition away from using Microsoft products in all governmental, educational, military and other facilities throughout the US. Thank you. --US Government
Why save your soul when you can sell it for a profit?
all five of them?
Yeah, lets let Microsoft have a nice tax free environment, the US's part of the International Space Station. And make em use their own OS to run it. "OXYGEN GENERATORS OFFLINE, DO YOU WISH TO START THEM?"
Oh noes! You didn't get to steal all the money you wanted? I'm gonna be crying for you...