Sen. Sherrod Brown calls for Burger King boycott over Canada move

Sen. Sherrod Brown is calling on consumers to boycott Burger King over the restaurant chain’s del to buy doughnut-maker Tim Hortons — and subsequently relocate headquarters to Canada.

“Burger King’s decision to abandon the United States means consumers should turn to Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers or White Castle sliders,” Mr. Brown said, Fox News reported. “Burger King has always said ’Have it Your Way.’ Well, my way is to support two Ohio companies that haven’t abandoned their country or customers.”

Wendy’s HQ is in Dublin, Ohio. White Castle is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Burger King’s move comes as President Obama’s administration is trying to clamp down on business relocations overseas.

Businesses say the White House is too regulatory and corporate taxes are too high — the U.S. rate is one of the highest in the world, around 40 percent — to turn a profit.

Businesses like drug-makers AbbiVie and Valeant Pharmaceuticals have moved their headquarters overseas in order to curb costs. Walgreens announced it was going to do the same, but opted against the move, in the face of widespread negative publicity.

The White House has been pressing hard for Congress to do something about tax inversions — where businesses relocate their headquarters to countries with lower corporate tax rates, in order to save money — and has been trying to tap the patriotic vein of firms to stay in American.

Companies, however, say the White House and Congress could lower the corporate tax rate and put a halt to the anti-business climate as a means of keeping them on domestic soil.