Resistance toward US Corporations

Published in Wiener Zeitung
(Austria) on 28 December 2021
by Bernhard Baumgartner (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Lily Badmus. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
They readily take our money, but when it comes to paying taxes and duties, the U.S. mega-corporations which define our lives more and more are not so forthcoming. This breeds bad blood. Amazon, for example, is increasingly experiencing resistance toward the construction of new logistics centers in the countryside. Guaranteed land, a reduction in fees, good road connections — the times in which anything would be done to secure a few badly paid jobs in the region have slowly faded away.

In Rome, a dispute over a huge McDonald's branch has now come to an end. The U.S. company surprisingly found itself on the losing side. The fast food giant's plans to build a 107,639-square-foot McDrive, which included a parking lot on a site near the Baths of Caracalla — the ancient public baths of Rome — are now permanently off the table. The Council of State in Rome, the highest and last authority for administrative matters, rejected an appeal from McDonald's. The arguments of the Consumer Protection Organization, which contended that a McDrive would damage the beauty of the Baths of Caracalla, were effective. The guests will no longer have the chance to eat burgers and fries while enjoying the dreamlike view of the archaeological site.

As always, Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc. are so popular because they offer products and services that provide benefits to consumers. A European company would have been preferred, if there were such an alternative, solely because it is from Europe.


Das Geld nehmen sie gerne, aber wenn es um die Zahlungen von Steuern und Abgaben geht, sind die US-Megakonzerne, die unser Leben mehr und mehr bestimmen, nicht so flott. Das macht böses Blut. Amazon zum Beispiel erntet zusehends Gegenwind beim Bau neuer Logistikzentren auf der grünen Wiese. Bodenversiegelung, Abgabengeschenke, Verkehrsplus - die Zeiten, als man für ein paar minderbezahlte Arbeitsplätze in der Region alles tat, sind langsam vorbei.

In Rom ging nun ein Streit um eine riesige McDonald’s-Filiale zu Ende. Und das US-Unternehmen fand sich überraschend auf der Verliererseite. Die Pläne des Fastfood-Riesen, einen 10.000 Quadratmeter großen McDrive mit Parkplatz auf einem Gelände unweit der Caracalla-Thermen - der antiken Badeanlagen Roms - zu eröffnen, sind endgültig vom Tisch. Der Staatsrat in Rom, die höchste und letzte Instanz bei administrativen Angelegenheiten, lehnte einen Rekurs von McDonald’s ab. Die Argumente des Konsumentenschutzverbands, wonach ein McDrive die Schönheit der Caracalla-Thermen beeinträchtige, zog. Die Gäste werden nun auf Burger und Co. bei einem traumhaften Ausblick auf das archäologische Gelände verzichten müssen.

Wie auch immer: Facebook, Google, Amazon und Co. sind so beliebt, weil sie Produkte und Services anbieten, die für die Konsumenten Vorteile bieten. Hier wäre alleine wegen der Regionalität eine europäische Alternative zu bevorzugen, wenn es sie denn gäbe.
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