I don't quite get that. What are the Canadians doing when they visit you?
I don't quite get that. What are the Canadians doing when they visit you?
Our mining and (especially) forestry regulations are getting more and more strict here, as they should. But Because Capitalism, our mining and forestry corporations are increasingly going to South America to rape and pillage the land, and spend pennies doing it.
It's not just America.
Let's just say they're not the kind of neighbors you want coming over.
acket.
Not only that, First Majestic Silver was recently accused by the Mexican revenue service of keeping the price of silver artificially low in order to reduce their tax burden, and then not paying any taxes.Originally Posted by tigeraid
There's a bunch of cases like that, because of obsolete* laws in place, mining is characterized as a strategic industry and they tend to operate in really low tax brackets (I think it's 3% of sales), so these subsidiaries almost always sell to other companies in their corporate structure for pennies on the dollar, and they always go to court to fight audits. Because of corrupt judges and a slow judiciary, the taxman settled for a fraction of the tax debt. Or at least it used to, since the change of government, the tax authorities are biting harder.According to the government’s analysis, Primero Empresa Minera, which First Majestic bought in 2018, set its silver prices below market value in a system similar to transfer pricing used by multinationals to shift profits to low tax havens.
[...]
Officials last year also drew up criminal charges, in line with a recent reform that classifies tax fraud over 7.8 million pesos as a serious crime. According to an official document dated April 2020, reviewed by Reuters, prosecutors sought to recover from Primero Empresa Minera 426.3 million pesos ($20.71 million) in taxes owed in 2015 alone.
*They're only obsolete because crony capitalism.
Last edited by FaultyMario; March 1st, 2021 at 10:28 AM.
acket.
I doubt none of it. There are degrees of evil. America might be the big baddy, but that doesn't make our government or corporations white knights.
Wow. I didn't know that.
When nations pass laws, they really need to make such laws more universal... not just make their laws only applicable within their own borders and own citizens... and then turn a blind eye when foreign nations and citizens end up being abused by companies of their own nation...
On the flip side, again, I don't think we can solely blame such evils on Canada and capitalism. Corruption in South American nations are allowing this to happen too. This isn't really "rape", but consensual "fuck". Canadians didn't mobilize any troops to force this to happen, right?
Anyway, saddened to learn this...
Hope south american nations can fight off corruption so that they'll be able to protect their own nations better. Canadians don't dare do this to USA, right? Even USA don't dare to do this to Canada...
Anyway, all I can do is hopefully make USA less corrupt and less evil. No idea what I can do to help south american nations... other than try to make our own nation do the right thing.
Last edited by Crazed_Insanity; March 1st, 2021 at 11:08 AM.
And you dont think capitalism hasnt already solved that - subsidiary local companies. They can obey the local, looser, rules. Multinational takes the money.
Australia has had a few of its big mining companies involved in some terrible stuff in other countries. Lots of people dead, areas polluted and left devastated. Then again they try that shit here as much as they can.
Capitalism will always find ways to make things cheaper of course. However, governments could setup rules to protect basic human and environmental rights. At the very minimum, ban imports of goods that came from that local subsidiary. At the maximum, make the parent companies pay for all the damages incurred by all of their subsidiaries.
It's pointless to free slaves in your own nation, but allow your companies to enslave people of other nations.
Likewise, speak of rejoining the Paris Accord to make yourself look good, but your companies are fucking up the world else where.
When corrupt leaders get together, naturally they'd like to fuck around. It's not just capitalism's fault. Our common goal should be to minimize the rot, not just about having this -ism fighting the other -ism. I personally believe whatever -ism could be made to work as long as we practice them justly and responsibly.
Last edited by Crazed_Insanity; March 1st, 2021 at 02:04 PM.
Wasn't it BHP or Rio Tinto that were at the centre of protests in Chile recently? Both are Australian mining megacorps.
Colonialism is still just as destructive today as it was when the Americas and Australia were settled by white people.
We have laws to deal with this stuff, but a company breaking these laws is basically unpunishable.
Easy to say, hard to do.
How do you control actions in another country?
You could ban imports, but what if they dont import back to your country (esp mining, the raw materials probably go to other countries). Even then are you penalising the company or that country?
We shouldnt exploit other countries, but it is also tricky to interfere on how they run.
There is a push for stuff like "ethical" products eg palm oil, coffee. And for better working conditions in places like Bangladesh. But most of these end up being consumer driven. Harder when its more industrial products or raw materials.
RWA - yeah both BHP and Rio Tinto have very poor records of safety in other countries.
And multinationals, companies picking their country of incorporation - really can let them get around taxes and laws. Its some of the worst of capitalism, as it gets outside controls.
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