ENEMIES OF THE STATE: Democrats put target on ‘corporate deserters.’

Congressional Democrats said Tuesday they would seek any and all avenues to curb offshore tax deals, kicking off a new effort to punish what they call “corporate deserters.”

Senior Democrats on both sides of the Capitol brought back legislation to make it more difficult for corporations to merge with a foreign competitor and shift their legal address abroad.

“We believe we need fairness in the tax code,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said at a news conference announcing the legislation.

Democrats introduced the legislation last year as well, at the same time President Obama and other senior officials in the party questioned the patriotism of companies like Pfizer Inc. and Walgreen Co. that looked into so-called corporate inversions.

After Congress deadlocked over the tax deals in 2014, the Treasury Department put in place new rules targeting the economic benefits for companies that reincorporate offshore. But both lawmakers and the Obama administration said tougher measures would require action from Congress.

See, you’re a “deserter” because starting a company is just like enlisting in the military! And that attitude is sure to promote economic growth!