loophole#2
米の製薬大手企業ファイザーが英のアストロゼネカに再度買収案を持ちかけました。しかし，この案に対して多くの否定的な意見がでております。その中の一つが今回取り上げる"loophole"です。
『Wisdom第三版（三省堂）』によると「（法律・制度上の）抜け穴，盲点」などという意味がありました。つまり，イギリスは米国の税率よりも低いため，イギリスに本社を置き，税金を安く済ませようとしているのではないかということです。（Ume）
Pfizer in new offer for AstraZeneca takeover
US drugs giant Pfizer has made an improved offer for the UK's AstraZeneca as it bids to tie up the largest takeover in British business history.
The new offer of £55 per share would value AstraZeneca at about £69bn.
Pfizer plans to create the world's largest drug company, with its headquarters in New York, but based in the UK for tax purposes.
That plan has proved controversial with unions and politicians, with 6,700 UK jobs at stake.
In a grilling from MPs last week, AstraZeneca's French boss Pascal Soriot argued a takeover would harm its development of life-saving cancer drugs.
The US firm has argued that it plans to retain at least 20% of the combined companies' research and development workforce in the UK for at least five years and base its European HQ in Britain.
Veto powers
Opposition leader Ed Miliband claimed the assurance from Pfizer on jobs was "worthless".
The government has powers to veto certain deals, such as those involving defence and media companies, and apply a "public interest test". But this is rare, and its scope to intervene is also limited by the European Commission.
The backlash has even extended to the US, where Senators Carl Levin and Roy Wyden are looking to close the tax loophole that Pfizer plans to use.
In a strategy known as "tax inversion" Pfizer could pay the UK corporate tax rate of 20%, rather than the 35% rate applied in the US, if it bought AstraZeneca.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27464667
