[Opinion] Wal-Mart does so much wrong

Xarog said:
But we agree it would be better if all companies paid their fair share of taxes, right?
Click to expand...

Which legally WalMart is doing currently.

I can't hate a company for taking advantage of laws that allow them to do this. All I can really do is hope that governments change their laws to close these loopholes.
 
ToxicBunny said:
Which legally WalMart is doing currently.
Click to expand...
So once again, what is legal is what is fair? Why is there a law against killing another person? Wouldn't it be simpler just to let people kill each other and let everyone worry about themselves? Then people could get on with doing the things they want to be doing instead of spending all this stupid tax money propping up a bureaucratic justice system...

I can't hate a company for taking advantage of laws that allow them to do this. All I can really do is hope that governments change their laws to close these loopholes.
Click to expand...
The problem is that Walmart makes campaign donations to politicians in exchange for having legal loopholes placed into tax laws etc. so that Walmart gets a loophole it knows it can use to avoid paying taxes. That allows it to pay less tax than its competitors which means that it's able to make the same profits as its competitors by lowering its prices. Now Walmart has an uncompetitive edge against the competition, because Walmart has gamed the system to work against its competition. How is this fair? How is it beneficial to the general public who eventually have no choice but to buy from Walmart because Walmart drove all its competitors out of business with its asymmetrical tax payments?
 
Xarog said:
So once again, what is legal is what is fair? Why is there a law against killing another person? Wouldn't it be simpler just to let people kill each other and let everyone worry about themselves? Then people could get on with doing the things they want to be doing instead of spending all this stupid tax money propping up a bureaucratic justice system...


The problem is that Walmart makes campaign donations to politicians in exchange for having legal loopholes placed into tax laws etc. so that Walmart gets a loophole it knows it can use to avoid paying taxes. That allows it to pay less tax than its competitors which means that it's able to make the same profits as its competitors by lowering its prices. Now Walmart has an uncompetitive edge against the competition, because Walmart has gamed the system to work against its competition. How is this fair? How is it beneficial to the general public who eventually have no choice but to buy from Walmart because Walmart drove all its competitors out of business with its asymmetrical tax payments?
Click to expand...

In a democratic society you are supposed to vote out those politicians. You get what you vote for.
 
Xarog said:
So once again, what is legal is what is fair? Why is there a law against killing another person? Wouldn't it be simpler just to let people kill each other and let everyone worry about themselves? Then people could get on with doing the things they want to be doing instead of spending all this stupid tax money propping up a bureaucratic justice system...
Click to expand...

As I said, massive area to get into... so i'm not really going to.

Xarog said:
The problem is that Walmart makes campaign donations to politicians in exchange for having legal loopholes placed into tax laws etc. so that Walmart gets a loophole it knows it can use to avoid paying taxes. That allows it to pay less tax than its competitors which means that it's able to make the same profits as its competitors by lowering its prices. Now Walmart has an uncompetitive edge against the competition, because Walmart has gamed the system to work against its competition. How is this fair? How is it beneficial to the general public who eventually have no choice but to buy from Walmart because Walmart drove all its competitors out of business with its asymmetrical tax payments?
Click to expand...

But that is a failing of the government, and specifically the US government and their donations and "lobbyist" problem. Also, in the US itself, I can't really see them benefiting from asymmetrical tax payments locally to the point that they drive their competitors out of business. There are a few competitors to WalMart in the states already and they seem to be doing just fine and some are even expanding internationally. Companies like WalMart also very often don't repatriate the money into the US so can't use it to fund expansion and all that either, the money stays in the tax havens and is used to fund and expand international operations.
 
ToxicBunny said:
But that is a failing of the government, and specifically the US government and their donations and "lobbyist" problem. Also, in the US itself, I can't really see them benefiting from asymmetrical tax payments locally to the point that they drive their competitors out of business. There are a few competitors to WalMart in the states already and they seem to be doing just fine and some are even expanding internationally. Companies like WalMart also very often don't repatriate the money into the US so can't use it to fund expansion and all that either, the money stays in the tax havens and is used to fund and expand international operations.
Click to expand...
Walmart is a publicly traded company. That means it pays divedends on its profits, which is the single biggest factor determining its share price. So actually a tax break here or there can make a massive difference in Walmart's ability to crowd out smaller players, because among other things it can borrow more while maintaining a superb credit rating as a result of those high share prices. And if you think interest rate leverage isn't something which can be used to completely decimate the competition, you have another thing coming.
 
Vrotappel said:
In a democratic society you are supposed to vote out those politicians. You get what you vote for.
Click to expand...
So exactly who are the Americans supposed to vote for when both parties are bought and paid for?
 
The_Assimilator said:
A totally capitalist society does not have to be a totally heartless society - responsible capitalism, as opposed to rampant capitalism, is what we should be aiming for. Unfortunately the corrupt have been allowed to use capital to erode the institutions and laws that keep capitalism responsible, resulting in the destruction of the middle class that we see today. We are rapidly approaching a tipping point and I fear the end result will be violent revolution.
Click to expand...

Most likely.

Then, history will repeat itself. Might take a few years, but ja.. Human nature.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X