More than half of Fortune 100 companies operate there, with billions invested in factories and trained workers. Eli Lilly & Co., Abbott Laboratories and others, including Microsoft Corp. and Coca-Cola Co., don't want to lose Puerto Rico's tax-free commonwealth status, politicians and academics say.Puerto Rico's leading statehood advocate, Senate President Kenneth McClintock, believes that the firms won't leave an educated, loyal and skilled work force.
But that may not be true. Corporate lobbyists argue that the multi nationals would dump Puerto Rico in favor of the greener pastures of Singapore, India and elsewhere if Puerto Rico's status changed.
My bet is that the corporations also like Puerto Rico's high unemployment rate because it keeps workers wages dramatically below U.S. national scales.
Wow, so much for Puerto Ricans deciding their own fate. The clear message is for islanders to stop wanting equal status and get back to their novelas.
This bit of patronizing news must be welcomed by lackluster Governor Anibal Acevedo and leader of the island's status quo party.
Well, this "fact" about half of the Fortune 100 companies being against the statehood is Puerto Rico can be interpreted as a compliment. This means that the labor in the island is so good that companies do not want to let it go and move on to another country. Now, if these Fortune 100 companies are indeed pressuring the government to avoid the statehood, this companies can be given some sort of tax relief benefit to keep operations inside US territory.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, get your facts right. Puerto Rico has not been filming "novelas" for quite a while now. Venezuela, Columbia and Mexico (Which are in no way identical to Puerto Rico) are the ones filming the spanish novelas.
Anonymous, get *your* facts right. American Taino wrote nothing about filming novelas. They are being broadcast and watched in Puerto Rico. You may want to consider what you comment before embarrassing yourself with snarky incorrect information.
ReplyDelete