Would Monsanto move its headquarters out of the country?

St. Louis Post Dispatch ^ | 23 June 2014 7 hours ago | Tim Barker

[WhiskeyX]

According to the wire service, Monsanto mulled a takeover of its $34 billion seed and herbicide rival, in part, to move its legal headquarters to Switzerland. It’s a move known as corporate inversion and it has the power to shield money held overseas from Uncle Sam’s tax collectors.

[WhiskeyX]

The upcoming corporate income tax rate of 35 percent provides another major corporation with the incentive to relocate its corporate headquarters offshore.

[knarf]

Our tax laws and practices are SOOO smart.

[goodwithagun]

If they did, would they still receive our tax dollars in return for lining CONgress critters’ pockets?

[oblomov]

Of course. We’re in the “graft” phase of our collapse.

[sphinx]

I have no quarrel with any entity, individual or corporation, that packs its bags and relocates to escape oppressive taxes and regulation. The problem is irresponsible and abusive government, not those who take action to escape.

[Buckeye McFrog]

The biggest threat to them looming out there IMO is European resistance to their GMO products, including a potential outright ban.

In such a scenario having boots on the ground to more effectively spread the bribes around would appear to make a whole lot of sense.

[Ben Ficklin]

There is also the issue as to whether these transnationals are even US companies.

For example: Exxon has said they have obligations not only to the US but also to other countries and they never consider what may or may not be best for the US when they make business decisions.

So Exxon's policy on Kurdish oil may be counter to US policy on Kurdish oil. Or, Exxon's dealings with the Russian oil company Rosneft may not be in the US's best interest.

Not too long ago, Weatherford Intl and Halliburton(oil services companies) moved overseas. Weatherford located in Switzerland for tax purposes, but have recently announced they are leaving there to go where they can get even cheaper taxes.

And this has been going on amongst the US states for a long time. A US company will build a new plant based on who gives them the best tax breaks. Football teams will go to a city that pays for their new stadium.

[GraceG]

I hate Monsanto...

Not because they Genetically modify crap or sell o so evil Chemicals...

But because they are G-d D-mned cronies with the big government... and they recive a good chunk of the “farm bill” subsidies and what not and so on and so forth...

I could care less about the other stuff, but when they use government power to destroy a neighboring farmers crop for their pollen that was spread by the wind to some other farmer’s field, they cvan go pound sand and die or learn to compete on the same level as the rest of the farm busineses that don’t have the gross amount of lobbying they do.

I used to defend monsanto, no damned more, they use government as TOOL to keep their monopoly in the biotecha nd agribusiness. Screw them.

[GraceG]

We should really be treating internal US companies only like royaly and companies that are forgein or a certain percentage foreign like alien companies that may not always have our own best interest in mind, and if people think i am protectionist too damn bad.

Lower the corporate taxt rate for 100% domestic companies and reduce the regulation on 100% domestic companies and we should be more critical of any company that has more than 5-10% of it’s assets overseas....

[GraceG]

[ I have no quarrel with any entity, individual or corporation, that packs its bags and relocates to escape oppressive taxes and regulation. The problem is irresponsible and abusive government, not those who take action to escape. ]

Much like citizenship, we punish the domestic entities be they peopel or businesses, and we reward foreign people and businesses...

[Ben Ficklin]

The problem with using the phrase "corporate tax rate" is that there are loopholes written into the tax code and considering deductions and loopholes, there is a lot of variation in the tax that individual companies or groups of companies pay.

No doubt, based on campaign contributions, loopholes can be opened and closed.

[GraceG]

[ The problem with using the phrase “corporate tax rate” is that there are loopholes written into the tax code and considering deductions and loopholes, there is a lot of variation in the tax that individual companies or groups of companies pay.

No doubt, based on campaign contributions, loopholes can be opened and closed. ]

The tax code is a complete joke becasue of all of the loopholes written by cronies who hire lobbyists who actually write the damn laws congress passes instead of forcing congressmen to actually write the laws during open session while televised and open to the public.

This is why I favor not having any sort of federal income/corpoarate tax and instead having a flat 10% federal import tariff.

Import tariffs as the ONLy federal funding mechanism would axctually INDUCE those idiot dems to actually enforce the damned border becasue to allow smuggling of people/items would be affecting the dims bread and butter and they would become border advocates immediately becasue dims are greedy bastards when it comes to taking other people’s money...

[hinckley buzzard]

Monsanto can only do what governmment policies and regulations allow and incentivize them to do. Don't blame Monsanto for taking advantage. They are simply responding rationally to the rules. And the government makes the rules, not the corporation.

Get government regulation out of the picture and the opportunities for corruption of the process radically diminish.