Ballmer Says Tax Would Move Microsoft Jobs Offshore

Source: Bloomberg.com

June 3 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steven Ballmer said the world’s largest software company would move some employees offshore if Congress enacts President Barack Obama’s plans to impose higher taxes on U.S. companies’ foreign profits.

“It makes U.S. jobs more expensive,” Ballmer said in an interview. “We’re better off taking lots of people and moving them out of the U.S. as opposed to keeping them inside the U.S.”

Obama on May 4 proposed outlawing or restricting about $190 billion in tax breaks for offshore companies over the next decade. Such business groups as the National Foreign Trade Council, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable have denounced the proposed overhaul.

<snip>

Barry Bosworth, an economist in Washington at the Brookings Institution research center, said many software companies such as Microsoft have exploited tax and trade rules in the U.S. and other countries to achieve a low overall tax rate.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amBiYGyHOkZ8

---

Definitely worth a read.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5778331

:yourock:

:hug:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc

Their products have been increasingly on par with corn-filled pig shit anyway; the culmination of Vista alone is damning evidence.

Given decades' worth of vaporware, bloatware, false promises, empty promises, supporting of piracy while claiming to be against it, anyone who still supports their company is ignorant.




Globalization, why isn't it $3 here too?

Real globalization. Not this pathetic game they call it.

Fuck them.

Seize all their assets, THEN throw them out!

If for no more than the luscious dream it is.

Doesn't sound very patriotic to me.

They were leaving anyway.

:rofl:

Their little netbook is the hottest selling notebook in the world.

:rofl:

Ford dealers have tons of foreign cars on their used car lots. I read an article that said trade ins of imports on new Fords is at an all-time high.

Finally, some Americans are GETTING IT: We cannot have a robust economy in the United States, with low unemployment, decent jobs with good pay and benefits, IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY JOBS HERE. And if we keep buying overseas goods, we are supporting overseas companies.

Yes, American cars are made overseas, parts are shipped in from other countries to make them, but the corporate profits from the sale of those cars go to American companies. Same with foreign cars: they may be built here, but the profits eventually wind up in the bank accounts of a foreign company.

It may have taken this horrible recession (depression?) to wake up the sleeping giant known as the American people, but I do believe they are finally smelling the coffee.

People are sick of hearing about jobs being moved overseas, and they are fighting back now. This may come as a shock to corporate America, but people are not tolerating it any longer.

That's been the point of Globalization all along, play countries off one another in a race to the bottom by threatening to move jobs to another country.

About all his talk would be deemed phony if Chavez didn't have ___ and ___ done...

It's not a one-way street.

And it's proof socialism is as crappy as capitalism when selfish shitheads are running the place.

Oh dear, did I swear again? :blush:

Just as my comparison made you think your response to me.

:shrug:


Let me know if that doesn't make any sense either...

Call their bluff, Congress.

.......back into the US. Fuck these ass holes, it's about time they started carrying their own weight (paying their fair share of taxes).

They don't need taxpayer money, not in the slightest.

And corporate kings love to blame welfare mothers too...

They were originally an American company. If they want to sell here, make em pay for helping destroy our economy.

:thumbsup:

They import them for cheap labor.

I'm sure all those developing nations would love the need to by a solar panel to charge up their laptops so they can type out a unique version of the Nigerian Scam.

His statement about being better off taking people offshore is true, in the short run. While I have to agree with him, many people are quite happy with the Smog, Traffic, High Cost, crappy food. While other countries like Singapore, Taiwan, China and the rest have equivalent infrastructures, it all boils down to a copy of the American system. When all the world is Globalized to the unsustainable US Model, the winner will ultimately charge for their success at creating a more pleasant environment, while the US gets to lease a bulldozer to raze everything and start all over again.

Give me an Atari 800 with a BASIC language catridge and I'd still be ahead of Newton and Galileo in terms of a mechanical calculator.

The Corporations are grappling with the same thing Corporation dealt with in the past, and that is the thought that they will run out a people to buy their goods. They actually built things to last back in the day, and a tool of capital good often lasted for generations. They changed by exploiting the need of people to have a unique identity, so they started making small batches of products with minor variations, style a cosmetic appeal. The underlying function didn't change.

It's an Illusion.

If people really knew how much unused, hidden and wasted power is held within a modern computer, they would never want to buy another one again.

Add to that mystery, the fact is to make it as complex as possible, in very much the same way as Automobile require specialized skills or tools in order to perform minor repairs, or to use microelectronics which are a one off device to create more consumption in event of failure.

EMP was a serious threat in the 80's. It hasn't gone away that one EMP, which can be generated locally with and antenna, could wipe out all consumer electronics in a metropolitan area.

Ballmer is exerting the Too Big To Fail mindset. Too bad for him, he doesn't realize that he is already in failure mode.

Apple has outsourced all manufacturing of their products to China for years.

I don't see anybody bitching about those lost jobs.

just don't call yourself an American company you traitors.

someone will take over their market share if they leave the marketplace - Linux will slowly take over their empty shell and push them entirely into obscurity in 10 years. What happened to netscape is an example of how things can rise and fall in a matter of years - they should have learned that lesson already as they were a direct participant

So they're going to move more jobs overseas?

I'm betting this is MS' way of saying "expect more jobs to get outsourced regardless of what Obama does".

to lower the cost of humanity.

:think:

They are going to send the jobs overseas anyway, so stop giving them any tax breaks and tax them the same as any other citizen. No more tax breaks for corporations.

Just the military accounts alone would be a huge problem.

A tax on foreign profits would cause him to UP his foreign COSTS? Which would advantage him in what way?

Just reading his quote; he doesn't give a shit one way or the other. He's just playing politics.

How the frig does taxing foreign profits make US jobs more expensive?

His same company lets China pirate as many copies and they turn a blind eye (I posted the direct link w/quote elsewhere, will not repeat/spam), and the legal licenses of Windows+Office are $3 a pop. No foreign profits there... and without Americans with living wage jobs to pay $399 for Vista and $499 for Office Pro, where will Steve get his money from?????

The guy is smoking LSD-laced CRACK.

Given how crappy their products have become, by and large, they can offshore themselves too. Google, Apple, and the rest are still here and most of them still think Americans aren't worthless either.

Microsoft has billions of dollars. Isn't that enough for them?

:puke:

...Microsoft bringing in tons of foreign workers under H1-B visas instead of giving the jobs to Americans, then training those workers to take lead positions when those divisions are sent to Bangalore? :grr:

Microsoft would have a new destination to outsource their workers. Although, the climate may be a bit too sweaty for many of the workers to deal with.

:rofl:

I doubt quality would go down much further... but once one reaches indolent rock bottom, where's left to go?