It’s an eye-catching headline that Canada-based Tim Hortons might be purchased by the U.S. chain Burger King and headquartered in Canada. It would create an enormous fast food company, the third largest in the world. But the stories from the U.S. today make it clear that it isn’t about the food as much as it is the taxes. Canadian taxes would be lower for such a new company. Reuters excellent account goes on for three pages talking about comparable deals and non-deals. Walgreen had a chance to “invert” its taxes when it bought a European drugstore, says Reuters. Inversion is the name for grabbing the cheaper tax rate. But it didn’t happen because Walgreen got cold feet about what the U.S. government might do. Walgreen would still have to do business with Uncle Sam. So nobody at Tims or Burger King is really thinking about what a new fast food mammoth would look like at the counter. Rather, they’re counting the dollars and the political impact to see if makes sense for Burger King to kiss off its American status. Sorry to be so unromantic about your friend Tim. Reuters
