Catherine Rampell, in a recent Washington Post article, follows a Supreme Court ruling to the next logical step. Here are some excerpts.

“If companies are claiming the rights and privileges of people, maybe people should start claiming the rights and privileges of corporations.

“…Businesses, for example, can transfer their “intangible” property — things like patents or trademarks — to holding companies in tax havens. … (If) individuals were treated like corporations, I could set up an affiliate called “Catherine Rampell Bermuda,” have it pay my college tuition and then declare that the affiliate owns the resulting degree. I could then tell the IRS that everything I earn above the average high school grad’s wage should be recorded as income in Bermuda, since it’s all derived from a Bermuda-based asset.

“…Home-buying would also become more attractive. Right now there are limits to how much mortgage interest humans can deduct. But if you analogize your primary residence to a “corporate headquarters” and your vacation homes to “branch offices,” you can deduct the full interest on every McMansion you ever buy.

“…If people were treated like corporations, perhaps we’d be able to “merge” with whomever we want without worrying about restrictive marriage laws… We could also choose to abide by the family law in whichever state we like best, regardless of where we live. … That’s one reason Delaware is home to more businesses than people.

“But the best perk …? Even if you killed someone, stole a house, funded a genocidal regime or terrorize the global economy, you wouldn’t go to jail. At worst, you’d pay a fine. … To err is human; to err and bounce back unscathed, you really need to be a company.”

Deb