Senator Clinton called Halliburton’s decision to relocate its corporate headquarters to Dubai “disgraceful,” suggesting the move would emerge as an issue in her presidential campaign.

Mrs. Clinton yesterday said the decision by Halliburton, which Vice President Cheney headed before going to the White House, raises questions about how the company would be taxed and whether it would affect pending investigations into the company’s conduct.

“Does this mean they’re going to quit paying taxes in America?” Mrs. Clinton said at an event in the Bronx. “They are going to take all the advantage of our country but not pay their fair share of taxes?”

“I think it’s disgraceful that American companies are more than happy to get no-bid contracts like Halliburton has and then turn around and say ‘But you know, we’re not going to stay with our chief executive officer or the president of the company in the United States anymore,” she said.

Mrs. Clinton also questioned whether the move would affect the investigations into Halliburton’s conduct, saying there is a “lot of evidence about their misuse of government contracts” by cheating American taxpayers by not providing services they were hired to deliver. The Justice Department and the Securities & Exchange Commission are currently investigating the company over its allegations of misconduct.

A spokeswoman for Halliburton, Melissa Norcross, said the suggestion that Halliburton is trying to skirt American taxes is “absolutely untrue.”

“Halliburton is, and will remain, a U.S. corporation,” she said. As such, we anticipate absolutely no tax benefits from this decision.”

Ms. Norcross said the company is incorporated in Delaware and its main executive office is in Houston. She also noted that the government contracts it has won are being carried out by KBR, which does military contracting work but is separating from Halliburton. She said both companies are complying with congressional requests for information as lawmakers conduct oversight hearings.

A corporate lawyer at Dercht LLP in Manhattan, Michael Hirschfeld, said that while Halliburton will not be eligible for tax breaks now, the company could be setting itself up to reincorporate its business in Dubai down the road. The move would allow it to avoid certain American taxes, he said.

“A U.S. corporation is taxable on its worldwide income no matter where it’s garnered. If by chance Halliburton is no longer a U.S. corporation, it only pays U.S. tax on the income that has a U.S. connection,” Mr. Hirschfeld said.