a clear and compelling rebuttal by Seamus of the false narrative that Ireland is a tax haven for MNCs - I can understand why some politicians might push it and even why some journalists might uncritically amplify it but what I can’t understand is why some distinguished commentators, like Krugman, who surely should/must know better, continue to major on it; do they have “alternative facts” or are they simply mistaken?
I think it is partly the complexity of the issue and some hidden agendas. It's popular to bash corporates and to demand they pay higher taxes. What Krugman almost certainly knows is that most proposals end up with US corporations paying higher taxes in the US. Because it's US corporations, for the most part, who have these tax deferral/avoidance strategies. It would be hard to whip up European popular opinion on this if the only benefit is to the US Treasury so it has to be fudged in some way.
a clear and compelling rebuttal by Seamus of the false narrative that Ireland is a tax haven for MNCs - I can understand why some politicians might push it and even why some journalists might uncritically amplify it but what I can’t understand is why some distinguished commentators, like Krugman, who surely should/must know better, continue to major on it; do they have “alternative facts” or are they simply mistaken?
I think it is partly the complexity of the issue and some hidden agendas. It's popular to bash corporates and to demand they pay higher taxes. What Krugman almost certainly knows is that most proposals end up with US corporations paying higher taxes in the US. Because it's US corporations, for the most part, who have these tax deferral/avoidance strategies. It would be hard to whip up European popular opinion on this if the only benefit is to the US Treasury so it has to be fudged in some way.