# Burger King to buy Tim Hortons - Where is your God now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437 "2014-08-25T04:53:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/1 "2014-08-25T04:53:01Z")
[Burger King in Talks to Buy Tim Hortons](http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/burger-king-in-talks-to-buy-tim-hortons-1408924294-lMyQjAxMTA0MDIwNDEyNDQyWj) So what kind of a “thing” is Tim Hortons for Canada. Will [Burger King](http://needcoffee.cachefly.net/needcoffee/uploads/2008/09/burger-king-where-is-your-god-now.jpg) owning them matter at all? > [@](#): > > Burger King Worldwide Inc. BKW +1.01% is in talks to buy Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons Inc., THI.T +2.79% a deal that would be structured as a so-called tax inversion and move the hamburger seller’s base to Canada. > > The two sides are working on a deal that would create a new company, they said in a statement, confirming a report on the talks by The Wall Street Journal. The takeover would create the third-largest quick-service restaurant provider in the world, they said. > > Inversion deals have been on the rise lately, and are facing stiff opposition in Washington given that they threaten to deplete U.S. government coffers. A move by Burger King to seal one is sure to intensify criticism of them, since it is such a well-known and distinctly American brand. > > A person familiar with the matter said a deal between the two companies could be struck soon, though additional details on timing couldn’t be learned. Tim Hortons has a market value of about $8.4 billion, while Burger King’s is about $9.6 billion, so together the restaurant companies are currently worth about $18 billion. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/2 "2014-08-25T05:38:52Z")
They’re Canadians. They’re used to monarchical rule. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/3 "2014-08-25T05:40:09Z")
Are they buying it from Wendy’s? I thought Wendy’s owned Tim Horton’s. At least you see a Wendy’s/Tim’s combo location here and there. > [@astro](#): > > So what kind of a “thing” is Tim Hortons for Canada. Will [Burger King](http://needcoffee.cachefly.net/needcoffee/uploads/2008/09/burger-king-where-is-your-god-now.jpg) owning them matter at all? Big yawn on my part. It’s a chain of coffee & doughnut shops. People go there mainly because they have many locations and the line moves faster than at Starbucks. Maybe you can track down one or two Canucks who fall for the advertising and are all “ZOMG Timmies is so central to Canadian culture!”, but I wouldn’t take those people seriously. The real question is how Americans will react to Burger King’s tax inversion shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/4 "2014-08-25T05:51:56Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > The real question is how Americans will react to Burger King’s tax inversion shenanigans. Well, another way to cut your tax is to cut your income; maybe that’s the fallback [del]excuse[/del]plan. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/5 "2014-08-25T06:02:02Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > Are they buying it from Wendy’s? I thought Wendy’s owned Tim Horton’s. Wendy’s sold it in 2006. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/6 "2014-08-25T06:02:37Z")
Why do Canadians spell it “Hortons,” BTW? Does Tim not believe in apostrophes? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/7 "2014-08-25T12:21:04Z")
Hey, free tax dollars! I won’t complain. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/8 "2014-08-25T12:53:59Z")
Tim Hortons is the Canadian equivalent of Dunkin Donuts, but it occupies a place in Canadian culture more like McDonald’s in the US. I hope it won’t change, because I loves me some glazed sour creme donuts! (\*Creme sucre de glas \*in Quebec!) ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/9 "2014-08-25T13:28:33Z")
Are corporate taxes lower in Canada than in the US? That’s the part I find surprising. My next question is, when can I get a Whopper with a powdered donut for a bun? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/10 "2014-08-25T13:31:49Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Why do Canadians spell it “Hortons,” BTW? Does Tim not believe in apostrophes? 😕 If you don’t put the apostrophe, you don’t need the sign in French and English. I think Mcdonald’s is the same there. We have Tim Horntons in Michigan, but does this mean it will go national? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/11 "2014-08-25T14:45:40Z")
Named after a hockey player killed in a car accident before the chain was a tenth its present size… good luck, “King”… ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/12 "2014-08-25T16:24:27Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Are corporate taxes lower in Canada than in the US? That’s the part I find surprising. I’ve been wondering about this, too. Canada doesn’t usually come up when people are discussing offshore tax havens. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/13 "2014-08-25T16:37:05Z")
I’m just glad there’s movement in my Tim Horton stock. Seriously, it jumped around 30% in one day. I don’t even like Burger King but money’s more important than democracy sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/14 "2014-08-25T17:01:17Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Are corporate taxes lower in Canada than in the US? That’s the part I find surprising. By at least about ten percentage points, apparently. US corporate tax rates top out comparatively high among developed countries. [Here](http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonhartley/2014/08/25/burger-kings-tax-inversion-and-canadas-favorable-corporate-tax-rates/) is a not-entirely-neutral discussion of the comparative tax rates. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/15 "2014-08-25T18:03:12Z")
With such comparable networths, is it fair to call this an “inversion”? ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/16 "2014-08-25T18:46:30Z")
The point of an inversion is to move your tax domicile out of the US. Didn’t CVS or Walgreens just announce that they’re going to do this? It seems that corporations are getting increasingly bold about seeking out tax havens. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/17 "2014-08-25T19:23:51Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Named after a hockey player killed in a car accident before the chain was a tenth its present size… good luck, “King”… I always thought naming their signature snack “Timbits” was in slightly bad taste, given the fate of Mr. Horton. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/18 "2014-08-25T20:08:56Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > The point of an inversion is to move your tax domicile out of the US. Didn’t CVS or Walgreens just announce that they’re going to do this? It seems that corporations are getting increasingly bold about seeking out tax havens. Congress isn’t organized enough to stop them. If Obama says he likes sunsets, there’s a sizable chunk of congress who will support resolutions against them. In this instance, it happens to be working out to my personal profit so… HA-ha. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/19 "2014-08-26T11:48:02Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Are corporate taxes lower in Canada than in the US? That’s the part I find surprising. [This article](http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tim-hortons-burger-king-deal-would-base-burger-chain-in-canada-1.2745754) says that Burger Kings pays 35% while based in the U.S., and would pay 26% in Canada (15% federal, 11% provincial in Ontario). ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437/20 "2014-08-26T13:59:47Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Are corporate taxes lower in Canada than in the US? That’s the part I find surprising My God, yes. Not only are US taxes higher, but US-domiciled corporations pay US tax rates on income around the world _regardless of where it is earned_. You should sell the stock of any multinational corporation dumb enough to domicile in the United States. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burger-king-to-buy-tim-hortons-where-is-your-god-now/696437.md?page=2)