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Microsoft Tax Dodge At Issue In Washington State
newscloud writes "With Washington State facing a billion-dollar biennial budget deficit, the spotlight again shifts to Microsoft's software licensing office in Reno, Nevada. 'Although the majority of its software development is performed in Washington State, Microsoft records its estimated $18 billion in licensing revenue per year through a corporate office in Reno, Nevada where there is no licensing tax. Just by enforcing the state's existing tax law from 2008 onwards, we could reduce Washington's revenue shortfall by more than 70 percent. Alternately, we could pursue the entire $707 million from Microsoft's thirteen years of tax dodging and cover most of the expected deficit going forward.' We have discussed Microsoft's creative capitalism in the past."
This is the typical liberal response to a money issue: blame big capitalism. The only reason Microsoft stays in Nevada is that it lowers their overhead. If they are still forced to pay taxes, they won't pay taxes. They will move to another state, or worse yet, ship more jobs over seas, which means that there are less American jobs. If taxes are so high that tax dodging becomes a way of life for big business to thrive, raising taxes will not fix the problem.
I know this post will be modded for flamebait, but I think the original article reeks of flamebait.
"They're just looking for an easy way out, to make Microsoft pay for the state's own economic blunders."
You just knew some idiot was going to post the exact same dopey drivel...
Congrats PhrostyMcByte! You were the idiot.
Well, for starters it's a little more than a loophole. I, as a person, don't get to declare that I'm a resident of a state without income tax because I have a storage locker there. That's essentially what MS has done here.
But you sound like another one of the Randroids, so it's likely pointless to argue. Hows about you just commence "going Galt" and GTFO?
> > that will be larger than the total deficits of Bush's eight years.
> Yeah, actually including two wars in your budget will do that.
Your reasoning and facts are lacking.
1. Whether the war funding is on or off budget doesn't change the deficit numbers. It just gets around various budget caps without needing super majorities and/or increasing the baseline defense budget. Baseline budgeting is the biggest scam since Social Security, btw.
2. Total defense spending (budgeted + war supplementals) as a percentage of GDP has been below historical levels throughout the GWOT. This is one of the reasons we have had problems on the battlefield, Bush & Rummey tried to fight two wars at the same time on the cheap. There were rational reasons why they believed that was sound policy politically and fiscally, they even had a passable theory to make it work from a military pov. But it didn't work and they either couldn't admit it or didn't think Congress would actually vote for the surge until the '06 debacle and McCain basically taking the ball and running it.
3. You are almost certainly being as intellectually dishonest as most of your team. You don't object to the money, you object to the idea. Which is of course a perfectly fine thing, just be honest about it. You guys object to the GWOT on principle and would object if the cost were $0. Those who believe one or both theaters of operation were/are vital to national security likewise aren't likely to be moved by the cost unless it itself becomes a threat to the survival of the nation.
Democrat delenda est
Way to blame microsoft for the state deficit.
Dude, this is Slashdot. Microsoft is blamed for everything from the dog's flatulence to North Korea's nuclear program.
"Hey, did you see those new [teen pregnancy / STI rates / quality of life / lifespan / literacy / numeracy / anything, anything at all] rates?"
Anything at all? How about the military? If Europe started paying for it's own defence the US would have a heap of money to put into their economy. Smug arseholes, you'd all be living under dictatorships if it wasn't for the US, let's see what you'd say about your quality of life then.
See the way I spelt arse? That's because I'm not American, I've just had enough of all the US bashing, especially from the people who intersperse it with cries for help.
http://marriedmansexlife.com/
Funny, on rereading the only partisan moron I see is the one screeching "Bu..bu..BUSH!".
Whihc isn't me.
Even more funny is how you ASSUME I'm partisan for hating a lame childish debate tactic that has made political discourse absolutely worthless. Funny how you HAVE TO assume I'm partisan so my criticism of your post can be dismissed, when the reality is I DESPISE the tactic and it's effect on discourse, which has exactly fuck all to do with my political ideology.
I hated it just as much when it was "Bu..Bu..Clinton go this dick sucked" but you don't know that. Because you ASSUME people who call your stupid political trolling what it is, stupid political trolling are AGIN YA, cause you don't have the intellectual ability to think beyond "if they ain't fer us, they's agin us".
Grow the fuck up.
"2. YOU made it a Bush point."
From YOUR post
"Or do you really believe "the last 8 years" haven't been completely dysfunctional, too?"
Seems you're a liar.
"It has nothing to do with Bush, I also consider Clinton and Bush 1's corporatism to be dysfunctional"
You said "the last 8 years NOT "the last 20 years".
Of course, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BUSH right?
Do you believe this crap when you spew it, or do you know you're full of shit and are just playing it up?
What the programmers can't move too?
A majority 1) wouldn't want to 2) couldn't sell their house in time, especially in the current market 3) have other things tying them to WA.
Oh, and learn to FUCKING READ. The post to which I responded assumed none of the programmers would move because he stated that "Michigan would be thrilled to offer MS [benefits] in order to hire their ~15% of unemployed citizens."
Stop trying so hard to prove MS is wrong, you're making an idiot of yourself wiht these retarded attemtps at points that don't hold water.
Um, hello moron, I didn't say ANYTHING about whether MS is right or wrong. I simply said MS moving to Detriot wouldn't make sense for either party involved, because just like the OP incorrectly assumed that any significant number of those 15% of people unemployed in Detriot would be employable at MS, you incorrectly assume that only an insignificant number of programmers WOULD MOVE.
There's an idiot on this thread, and its not me.