HP Executives Sidestep Questions on Trump Presidency’s Impact on Taxes, Trade

HP executives sidestepped questions on a Tuesday earnings call about the impact a Donald Trump presidency might have on trade and tax policy. Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak said it’s “really too early to have a strong opinion on all of the different proposals that are out there, because there are so many.” It’s also “unclear at this point in time exactly what the situation is going to be and how it might impact on HP and what actions HP might take as a result of those policy changes,” Lesjak said. CEO Dion Weisler said “we obviously support comprehensive tax reform that makes us more globally competitive.” HP also backs “multinationals having fair access to overseas markets and the flexibility to operate global supply chains,” Weisler said. “But I think Cathie is quite right, it’s the very early days.” HP operates in 170 countries, “and we want to be able to do that in the appropriate tax environment and an appropriate global environment,” he said.