Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney has generated significant controversy with his recent statment that "Corporations are people." Yesterdays' blog was devoted to this subject. http://bit.ly/DoesMittRomneyReallyBelieveThatPayToiletsArePeople
Some have e mailed me that Romney was not making a statement about metaphysics, but about tax policy. Let's consider the implications of Romney's statement that "corporations are people" if it is limited to tax policy. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/LeeTilson/colbert-defends-mitt-romney-corporations-are-people_n_925277_102432693.html
Michigan recently eliminated income taxes for most corporations. According to the State of Michigan's website:
Under H.B. 4361:
The Michigan Business Tax is replaced by a 6 percent Corporate Income Tax. The corporate tax applies only to companies that file as "C" corporations - typically, those that issue stock - and means that nearly 100,000 businesses no longer have to file returns.
http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,1607,7-277--256823--,00.html
It follows from Romney's statement that Michigan lacks the authority to do this.
Premise: Aristotle's law of non contradiction. Sentences are not both true and false at the same time.
A and B cannot both be true
A. Corporations are people.
B. It is false that corporations are people.
Either corporations are, or are not, people. One or the other. Not both.
Suppose we even limit this conversation to tax policy.
C. For the purposes of tax law, corporations are people.
D. It is false that for the purposes of tax law, corporations are people.
C and D are not both true.
If Romney is saying that for the purposes of tax policy, corporations are people, that statement has implications. If corporations are people for the purpose of tax law, then they must be treated as people. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder believes otherwise.
If corporations are people, then they must file the same tax returns that people file, and pay the same taxes that people pay. This contradicts Michigan law recently signed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,1607,7-277--256823--,00.html
According to candidate Romney's recent statement, Michigan must treat corporations as people. Michigan cannot treat them differently.
Romneys' statement requires that Michigan repeal H.B. 4361 and re instate the business tax.
