Burger King considering moving HQ to Canada due to more favorable tax rates

[Naxere]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonhartl...ate-tax-rates/

Burger King is considering a merger with Tim Horton's, and in the process considering moving their HQ to Ontario, due to more favorable corporate tax rates. What a sad state of affairs that businesses can get a more favorable corporate tax rate in Canada than they can here in the U.S.

Canada’s corporate tax rate in Ontario of 26.5% (the federal rate of 15% plus Ontario’s provincial corporate tax rate of 11.5%) is considerably favorable to the American corporate tax rate of 35% thanks in large part to the conservative Canadian government led by Stephen Harper. The Harper government lowered the federal tax rate to 15% in 2012 down originally from 28% since it took office in 2006.

In fact, a recent KPMG Report, Focus on Tax, ranked Canada as the #1 country with the most business-friendly tax structure among developed countries when adding up a wide range of tax costs to businesses from statutory labor costs to harmonized sales tax. When comparing developed countries to what companies pay in the U.S.; Canada came in at 53.6%, the U.K. came in at 66.6%, and the Netherlands at 74.5% of the U.S. corporate tax burden.

[h4rr0d]

Being at war with someone constantly and funding hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both US and NATO occupying middle east countries definitely puts a dent in one's budget. Hence the huge taxes in US.

[Trassk]

I don't see the problem, except for some stupid nationalist pride suddenly hating burger king because its no longer housed in 'merica.

[Nihilist74]

Whoppers taste good.

[Spectral]

Given where the bulk of tax revenue comes from, having high corporate tax rates is a generally poor policy. I'm somewhat surprised to see that Canada's rates are so favorable these days, I didn't know that.

[Redwyrm]

Ahhhhhh those poor businesses. Instead of feeling sorry for multi-billion dollar businesses, we should be shunning any business that relocates to another country to avoid paying taxes in this country. Some big gas companies pay less in taxes than you do. And people ignore this stuff in terms of the national debt.

[Blueobelisk]

Seems okay to me. It's kind of sad, really.

[Waaldo]

I don't see the problem, except for some stupid nationalist pride suddenly hating burger king because its no longer housed in 'merica.

Pride? How about just more tax evasion? This country is already in the shitter and having all the richest people paying damn near nothing in taxes doesn't help. Now having an entire company avoid taxes (I know they aren't the first) is just going to start a chain of more companies doing the same. It's how china manufacturing started.

The thing is, they aren't just lowering their taxes, they are paying their taxes to an entirely new country. You have to be an idiot to think that this has to do with "pride." God forbid I don't wan't the country I live in to go bankrupt, amirite?

[Devilyaki]

Most companies do this already, their home out of somewhere, where they can pay the lest amount of tax as possible. I think Google is one with their home out of the nertherlands or something.
I for one welcome bk becoming Canadian, mostly cause I already am

[Tyrgannus]

I feel I'm supposed to get mad and cry "muh tax evasion", but Burger King has NOT been doing well compared to other fast food chains if you didn't know. This merger is somewhat of a desperation tactic.

[Blueobelisk]

Pride? How about just more tax evasion? This country is already in the shitter and having all the richest people paying damn near nothing in taxes doesn't help. Now having an entire company avoid taxes (I know they aren't the first) is just going to start a chain of more companies doing the same. It's how china manufacturing started.

The thing is, they aren't just lowering their taxes, they are paying their taxes to an entirely new country. You have to be an idiot to think that this has to do with "pride." God forbid I don't wan't the country I live in to go bankrupt, amirite?

It's a company's responsibility to save countries?

[Waaldo]

It's a company's responsibility to save countries?

Where do you think a government get's its money from?

[Deleted]

Isn't KFC and Taco Bell merged in Canada?

Probably make sense for BK and Tim Hortons to do the same.

[Feali]

So what? Smart business move.

[Dakia]

I don't see an issue here really. If it makes better sense for them to move, then move. Companies do this all the time, moving from state to state for more favorable state tax rates.

[Gegan]

I don't see any problem with it. They aren't doing anything illegal, and it's not exactly like the U.S. is encouraging companies to stick around with anything other than words comparatively.

[Deleted]

Depraved move. Depraved reactions here aswel. America made BK big and now they move solely to avoid taxes in the country that made them big. And guess who's paying the taxes lost... You.

sickening to see billion dollar profit companies not taking their responsibility and pay an honest tax.

[Noomz]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonhartl...ate-tax-rates/

Burger King is considering a merger with Tim Horton's, and in the process considering moving their HQ to Ontario, due to more favorable corporate tax rates. What a sad state of affairs that businesses can get a more favorable corporate tax rate in Canada than they can here in the U.S.

Why do you act like it's some kind of national tragedy?
It's especially funny, considering how much tax evasion huge companies do in the US... Like someone else already mentioned, the average citizen pays more taxes from their income compared to the multi-billion dollar companies.

Poor, poor companies. They're just not having an easy time existing across the entire globe

[Dazzy]

Ahhhhhh those poor businesses. Instead of feeling sorry for multi-billion dollar businesses, we should be shunning any business that relocates to another country to avoid paying taxes in this country. Some big gas companies pay less in taxes than you do. And people ignore this stuff in terms of the national debt.

We should be shunning any politician that can't balance a budget instead of growing it exponentially every minute, and that can't figure out a way to keep companies from leaving.

- - - Updated - - -

Depraved move. Depraved reactions here aswel. America made BK big and now they move solely to avoid taxes in the country that made them big. And guess who's paying the taxes lost... You.

sickening to see billion dollar profit companies not taking their responsibility and pay an honest tax.

But they can't be blamed for using the broken system they exist in. Someday voters will finally get fed up and do something about it.

[Hammerfest]

Being at war with someone constantly and funding hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both US and NATO occupying middle east countries definitely puts a dent in one's budget. Hence the huge taxes in US.

The taxes in the US are generally high regardless of what is being done militarily because of our punitive tax code itself and because social programs, not the military, dominate the budget. I honestly don't blame BK if they do this given our corporate tax structure. It's not like Americans have any problem with buying from a company headquartered overseas... given the number of people who drive Toyotas.