Barack Obama says No more tax sops for outsourcing firms – its significance

A consultant specializing in services, products & marketing - Sabapathy is a rainmaker for technology and telecommunication start-ups. Sabapathy writes on software trends, issues, producteering and services.

US president Barack Obama has served notice that he would end the tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs abroad

I can understand Obama’s standpoint. It is the trade union folks who campaigned so very effectively for Obama and they are to be protected, but it goes against all the principles and policies that America has stood for all these years. America has always been a proponent of free enterprise and globalization. After all, it is a country built by immigrants by and large. All of this is changing because of the protectionist attitude showcased now.

Sample these comments from Marc Faber on the US economy.

“The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate.
If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China.
If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs.
If we buy a computer it will go to India.
If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala.
If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany.
If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy.
The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US.
I’ve been doing my part.”

These are really extraordinary times for the Americans as well as the President but these cutbacks on tax sops are an extreme step. This is more a populist move that we are used to in Indian politics. Let us dwell on how this affects Indian corporations. I would say that the effect will be huge, because close to 50% of the Indian service exporters revenue comes from the US and it is 50% of $100 billion economy that we are talking about and the impact necessarily will be huge.