[beezischillin]

I would say this and the fact that most US multinationals are very dodgy when it comes to paying their taxes and are ready to exploit any loophole to take money out of a country.

That, combined with the taxi license thing is the reason I assume they're being thrown out. Hungary also banned them (well, told them to obey the law or leave).

I highly doubt governments would be worried about where they pick customers up that much.

Lyft and other competitors won't be banned as long as they obey the laws and pay their taxes, I'd wager.

I'm really annoyed at companies, startups that have the attitude of Uber, where they break the laws and if they get caught, try to lobby their way out of it. If I did the same as a regular person, I'd be in jail within a month.

I'd also say that money that doesn't end up taxed and back in the economy and instead magically appears in a tax paradise to be held there as a bargaining chip for exemption from US tax laws should probably anger Americans too. It was utterly frustrating to see both presidential candidates bow down and be ready to give huge tax cuts on the repatriation of multinationals' profits just so they could at least see some of that trickle down into actual projects like infrastructure. Reading about it really felt like global-scale a ransom-situation.

[briandear]

Perhaps if taxes were less punitive and confiscatory people would be less likely to be creative in their avoidance.

Lowering and simplifying taxes would increase revenues (per the Laffer Curve,) however that would result in politicians not being as powerful. Milton Friedman explains this brilliantly: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TruCIPy79w8

[qeternity]

> I would say this and the fact that most US multinationals are very dodgy when it comes to paying their taxes and are ready to exploit any loophole to take money out of a country.

You do realize that tax dodging is practically national sport in Italy and the Mediterranean in general?

[register]

Another prejudiced comment that does not go to the point and does not help the discussion in any way.

[beezischillin]

It's a national sport worldwide. The country I live in is a festering pit of corruption, unfortunately that means that I look at politics as a system that mostly exists to serve and protect itself and its own interests, however I acknowledge that if they allow everyone to get away with skirting the laws, there's even less that will ever trickle down to your average person or small business

[polotics]

Oh? Like Starbucks using the Dutch sandwich? What an ignorant slur!

[briandear]

Is the Dutch sandwich illegal? If not, then blame your government. Starbucks follows the law. That's what many people here say about Uber "Uber doesn't follow the law -- so they should be banned; don't like the laws, then change them."

Yet Starbucks follows the law -- they have a huge legal and tax team for that purpose. So how can we complain about Uber not following the law and Starbucks following the law and be intellectually consistent at all?

There is no such thing as a loophole. The law either is or it isn't.

[exDM69]

> Is the Dutch sandwich illegal? If not, then blame your government

I can't blame my government for it because the Dutch Sandwich is based on loopholes in several other countries' laws.

I do blame the EU for not cracking down on it more efficiently but the recent injunction against Ireland and Apple is a good start.

It's very difficult to compete on a level playing field when the multinationals don't pay taxes. Google, Apple, Facebook, Ikea, McD, Amazon should all be slapped a proper fine.

But I don't have high hopes as long as Juncker from Luxembourg is running the show.

[Markoff]

so if someone is stealing you can too? let's get rid of police, courts and live in anarchy! what are you, 15?

[pooper]

> I would say this and the fact that most US multinationals are very dodgy when it comes to paying their taxes and are ready to exploit any loophole to take money out of a country.

> That, combined with the taxi license thing is the reason I assume they're being thrown out. Hungary also banned them (well, told them to obey the law or leave).

> I highly doubt governments would be worried about where they pick customers up that much.

> Lyft and other competitors won't be banned as long as they obey the laws and pay their taxes, I'd wager.

> I'm really annoyed at companies, startups that have the attitude of Uber, where they break the laws and if they get caught, try to lobby their way out of it. If I did the same as a regular person, I'd be in jail within a month.

I'm no fan of Uber but wouldn't it be better to get rid of the loopholes? What laws do you think those governments care about? Why?

[polotics]

Or you could say a politician's main role is to create and trade loopholes.