Tag Archives: New Orleans

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Canada: Home of the Whopper

09/10/2014 Nativegrl77

Architects of Burger King’s inversion claim it’s not about taxes

Burger King is rolling ahead with its plan to move to Canada. It confirmed Tuesday that it will purchase Tim Hortons, a Canadian coffee and doughnut chain, for about $11 billion, one of the biggest foreign acquisitions since 2012.

This makes Burger King one in a string of corporate deserters in recent years. According to new data provided by the Congressional Research Service, 47 companies have inverted in the last decade, including at least seven this year alone. These companies are able to dodge US taxes by moving their headquarters, but not their operations, to countries with lower corporate tax rates. So called “inversions” may save the companies a few bucks, but they could cost the US taxpayer tens of billions of dollars.

The Deal: Founded in Miami in 1954, Burger King operates more than 7,000 locations in the United States, but only 300 in Canada. In 1964, the Canadian fast food service Tim Hortons was founded in Ontario and now has more than one store per 10,000 Canadians. Burger King will shell out $11.4 billion for the coffee shop, but both will actually be controlled by 3G Capital, a Brazilian-US investment firm. According to the Wall Street Journal, Alex Behring, who is currently Burger King’s executive chairman and a managing partner at 3G Capital, will head the new company.

Although America has a top corporate tax rate of 35%, numerous multi-national corporations do not pay that much. Instead, U.S. corporations paid an average of 12.6%, according to the Government Accountability Office. Burger King also does not pay the top corporate tax rate, but has a tax rate in “the mid- to high twenties” according to Mr. Behring. While Burger King CEO Daniel Schwartz doesn’t “expect there to be meaningful tax savings,” Canada’s federal corporate tax rate is 15%.

Moving Forward: Burger King should reconsider its own bid for the company. Since the news broke, the public has denounced this newest corporate deserter. #BoycottBurgerKing is now commonplace on Twitter and Burger King’s Facebook was littered with comments threatening to never return. Senator Sherrod Brown added to that chorus: “Burger King’s decision to abandon the United States means consumers should turn to Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers or White Castle sliders.”

When Walgreens announced its purchase of Alliance Boots, a European pharmacy, it received similar criticism, and it has since said that it will stay headquartered in the United States. They decided that paying their fair share was more profitable.

BOTTOM LINE: When more and more American companies move out of the U.S., ordinary Americans end up footing the tax bill. Companies employing the process of inversion are taking advantage of U.S. taxpayers and cheating the system, to the detriment of our workers and our economy. It’s beyond unpatriotic and it’s time for them to stop.

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An Update on the Economy, Iraq, and Ukraine

08/30/2014 Nativegrl77

At the White House yesterday afternoon, President Obama made a statement on a number of important issues ahead of his attendance at the NATO Summit in the United Kingdom next week.

The President first talked about the American economy, noting that it’s growing “at a stronger clip” than predicted, and that we have more work to do to continue this momentum. He then discussed the current U.S. operations in Iraq, reiterating his commitment as Commander-in-Chief to “always do what is necessary to protect the American people and defend against evolving threats to our homeland.”

President Obama concluded his statement addressing the situation in Ukraine, noting that the evidence is clear: “Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern Ukraine.”

Learn more about the President's remarks yesterday.

This isn’t right … Steve Mason via Change.org

08/30/2014 Nativegrl77

My daughter Lisa passed away four years ago, but private student loan companies refuse to forgive her debt. Join us in calling on her lenders to forgive debt after a borrower’s death.

Sign Steve’s petition

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Weekly Share …

06/07/2013 Nativegrl77

Hello! Here are the three hottest progressive videos and graphics that we found on the web this week!

www.MoveOn.org

You’ll Never Guess What 30,000 MoveOn Members Did After Hurricane Katrina

President Obama Visited Chicago And He Got This Surprise

You’ll Never Believe Who Is The Lowest Low Wage Job Creator In America

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HR1406 : Working Families Flexibility Act

05/08/2013 Nativegrl77

As a “Two-Minute Activist,” you know that we still have a lot of work to do to pass laws that will help workers balance the demands of their work and their families. But we can’t – and we won’t – let Congress fool us with the misnamed Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406).
We’ve heard the House may vote on H.R. 1406 as early as next week. This bill claims to offer flexibility to employees by allowing them to convert overtime work into paid time off (i.e. comp time) for family responsibilities. But this bill is not an improvement for working families: Under the Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406), employers would still have complete discretion over whether to approve workers’ requests to convert their overtime into comp time. This means that employees will still have trouble using accumulated days for an emergency, or even to plan for things like parental leave or caregiving leave.
Nothing is currently stopping employers from offering more flexible schedules. Creating yet another system of hurdles for workers to access leave, left entirely at the discretion of their employer, is not the way to achieve flexibility. In just a few days, the House is voting on the problematic Working Families Flexibility Act (H.R. 1406): Tell your representative to vote against H.R. 1406!

Don’t forget to register for AAUW National Convention in New Orleans, June 9-12! At Convention you can connect with more than 600 AAUW members from around the country, hear from esteemed speakers such as MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry and fair pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter, and (did we mention?) enjoy the city of New Orleans! Register today so you don’t miss out!
Follow AAUW Public Policy on Twitter, and read AAUW’s blog for discussion, information, and advocacy for women and girls.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) empowers women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. Our nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has more than 150,000 members and supporters across the United States, as well as 1,000 local branches and 700 college and university partners. Since AAUW’s founding in 1881, our members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political.