Re: Mega corporations and tax : Wed Jul 09, 2014 5:36 pm  

Dally wrote:

What I find odd is that such companies moan about infrastructure holding them back and that government should pay for it. I am sorry but why? If their business needs road and rail links then they should pay for it if they don't wish to pay much tax. Why is it the responsibility of Joe Public to not just buy their products and services but to pay higher taxes to help their business be more profitable? Surely if they have a demand for infrastructure they will pay for it themselves or pay a private company to build it for them? Isn't that what free market capitalism dictates? Isn't that what was done in the Victorian era when private capital built railways to mines, etc?

That's neo-cons for you: privatise the profit and socialise any loss (as much cost as you can get away with)

[DaveO]

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Thu Jul 10, 2014 1:04 pm  

King Street Cat wrote: The Times have revealed a few famous names who have invested in the Liberty 'tax strategy'. Great name for a tax strategy that, Liberty. Anne Robinson, Gary Barlow, Katie Melua, all of the Arctic Monkey's, Michael Caine and George Michael. I wonder what possesses them to do it. Even if they pay their full whack they are still going to be worth literally millions. If someone said to me we are going t pay you £2m a year but you only get to take home £1m I'd be quite happy with that thank you very much. This is an interesting article about the super rich wanting to hang onto every last penny: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/08/the-age-of-entitlement-how-wealth-breeds-narcissism

King Street Cat wrote: The Times have revealed a few famous names who have invested in the Liberty 'tax strategy'. Great name for a tax strategy that, Liberty. Anne Robinson, Gary Barlow, Katie Melua, all of the Arctic Monkey's, Michael Caine and George Michael. I wonder what possesses them to do it. Even if they pay their full whack they are still going to be worth literally millions. If someone said to me we are going t pay you £2m a year but you only get to take home £1m I'd be quite happy with that thank you very much. This is an interesting article about the super rich wanting to hang onto every last penny: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/08/the-age-of-entitlement-how-wealth-breeds-narcissism

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Thu Jul 10, 2014 1:31 pm  

DaveO wrote: Anne Robinson, Gary Barlow, Katie Melua, all of the Arctic Monkey's, Michael Caine and George Michael. I wonder what possesses them to do it. Even if they pay their full whack they are still going to be worth literally millions. If someone said to me we are going t pay you £2m a year but you only get to take home £1m I'd be quite happy with that thank you very much. This is an interesting article about the super rich wanting to hang onto every last penny: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/08/the-age-of-entitlement-how-wealth-breeds-narcissism And here's one of the mega-rich who seems to finally "get it" The Pitchforks are Coming

DaveO wrote: Anne Robinson, Gary Barlow, Katie Melua, all of the Arctic Monkey's, Michael Caine and George Michael. I wonder what possesses them to do it. Even if they pay their full whack they are still going to be worth literally millions. If someone said to me we are going t pay you £2m a year but you only get to take home £1m I'd be quite happy with that thank you very much. This is an interesting article about the super rich wanting to hang onto every last penny: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/08/the-age-of-entitlement-how-wealth-breeds-narcissism And here's one of the mega-rich who seems to finally "get it" The Pitchforks are Coming

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:01 pm  

cod'ead wrote: And here's one of the mega-rich who seems to finally "get it" The Pitchforks are Coming Interesting point of view - pay more in wages to the low paid and create more spenders who in turn shop for the things that you build and sell - how any high street retailer who pays minimum wage doesn't see this glaringly obvious fact is beyond me, other than the excuse of shareholder short term greed.

cod'ead wrote: And here's one of the mega-rich who seems to finally "get it" The Pitchforks are Coming Interesting point of view - pay more in wages to the low paid and create more spenders who in turn shop for the things that you build and sell - how any high street retailer who pays minimum wage doesn't see this glaringly obvious fact is beyond me, other than the excuse of shareholder short term greed.

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:27 pm  

JerryChicken wrote:

Interesting point of view - pay more in wages to the low paid and create more spenders who in turn shop for the things that you build and sell - how any high street retailer who pays minimum wage doesn't see this glaringly obvious fact is beyond me, other than the excuse of shareholder short term greed.

Indeed. Especially when Henry Ford worked it out a century ago.

Which maybe begs the question as to what Ford the company might have done back then had shareholders been in charge rather than 1 person.
1 person might well think of these things compared to shareholders (many of whom are organisations rather than individuals) who don't think that far about the business.

So... The Stock Market - good or bad?

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Thu Jul 10, 2014 5:01 pm  

Him wrote:

Indeed. Especially when Henry Ford worked it out a century ago.

Which maybe begs the question as to what Ford the company might have done back then had shareholders been in charge rather than 1 person.
1 person might well think of these things compared to shareholders (many of whom are organisations rather than individuals) who don't think that far about the business.

So... The Stock Market - good or bad?

Generally stock markets are good things, when they operate within the rules and are investing in companies that either make things people want to buy or services they need or wish to avail themselves of. The problems occur when organisations or individuals operate outside the rules or money is invested in money as a means of making yet more money

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Thu Jul 10, 2014 5:47 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

Generally stock markets are good things, when they operate within the rules and are investing in companies that either make things people want to buy or services they need or wish to avail themselves of. The problems occur when organisations or individuals operate outside the rules or money is invested in money as a means of making yet more money

Your last sentence is the main problem, too many people who believe that money makes more money all by some sort of magic rather than by having to do anything with it - the company I work for has one major investor who dictates from afar but at least he understands the industry we work in, has actually proved that he can run hands-on a similar previous company, and has a plan for us to move down, far too many would just sit back, cut costs and bleed the profit out of a business like ours.

[DaveO]

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:13 am  

cod'ead wrote: And here's one of the mega-rich who seems to finally "get it" The Pitchforks are Coming An interesting read and I liked this quote which is the basis of his essay in many ways "These idiotic trickle-down policies are destroying my customer base."

cod'ead wrote: And here's one of the mega-rich who seems to finally "get it" The Pitchforks are Coming An interesting read and I liked this quote which is the basis of his essay in many ways "These idiotic trickle-down policies are destroying my customer base."

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:47 pm  

DaveO wrote:

An interesting read and I liked this quote which is the basis of his essay in many ways "These idiotic trickle-down policies are destroying my customer base."

I remember mentioning that effect years ago on here and getting shot down by the usual right-wingers. When the staff at Tesco can no longer afford to shop there, then there really is a problem that they "just don't get".

I wonder what would happen if a PLC was barred from giving shareholder dividends or management bonuses if any employees were reliant on tax credits or housing benefit?

Re: Mega corporations and tax : Tue Jul 15, 2014 7:01 am  

cod'ead wrote:

I wonder what would happen if a PLC was barred from giving shareholder dividends or management bonuses if any employees were reliant on tax credits or housing benefit?

They would simply dismiss or "lever out" anyone in such a position and replace them with agency staff thus building a firewall between themselves and the legislation.