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While this thread is bound to fill with anecdotes... > Tourists are already turned off from coming to the US because of the TSA issues. I'd love to agree with

by mjolk 13y ago

While this thread is bound to fill with anecdotes... > Tourists are already turned off from coming to the US because of the TSA issues. I'd love to agree with you, but there's that pesky reality that disagrees with your claim: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/a-record-year-for-new-york-tourism/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/31/a-record-year-f... >Even countries like the UK with it's constituent nations and territories work hard at having a uniform and efficient system for businesses to do what they need to do. Population UK: 63mm Population USA 310mm and support your claim that the territories work hard at having an efficient system for businesses. > Having a "Just deal with it" attitude will also drive away business. The paperwork really isn't hard. What makes you think that filling out some tax forms is keeping people from opening up shop in America?

beagle3 13y ago
> The paperwork really isn't hard. Yes, it is. Many of my friends are business owners, most of them have some international business. I've been in touch with a variety of tax professionals in different countries through the years. In the last 10 years or so, I've seen more than one business or partnership outside the US state in its charter that "shareholder may not be a US tax payer, and may not sell his shares to one, and will sell his shares to someone who is not if he becomes one", because of how complicated it makes things. If you think US paperwork is sane or is not hard, it is probably because you did not have enough exposure to it, or alternatively, not had exposure to a saner system. Objectively: US Federal Tax code is >71,000 pages (as of 2009 when I checked - probably longer now). And it applies to every american. NYS tax code is some 15,000 more pages; if you are doing significant business in NYS, that's about 10 times as many details to be aware of than in any other country that I'm aware of.
- nitai 13y ago
  Spot on ;-)

by mjolk 13y ago

beagle3 13y ago

> The paperwork really isn't hard. Yes, it is. Many of my friends are business owners, most of them have some international business. I've been in touch with a variety of tax professionals in different countries through the years. In the last 10 years or so, I've seen more than one business or partnership outside the US state in its charter that "shareholder may not be a US tax payer, and may not sell his shares to one, and will sell his shares to someone who is not if he becomes one", because of how complicated it makes things. If you think US paperwork is sane or is not hard, it is probably because you did not have enough exposure to it, or alternatively, not had exposure to a saner system. Objectively: US Federal Tax code is >71,000 pages (as of 2009 when I checked - probably longer now). And it applies to every american. NYS tax code is some 15,000 more pages; if you are doing significant business in NYS, that's about 10 times as many details to be aware of than in any other country that I'm aware of.

nitai 13y ago
Spot on ;-)