Exclusive: Non-partisan 'US Uncut' group demands corporations pay taxes

Exclusive: Non-partisan 'US Uncut' group demands corporations pay taxes

www.rawstory.com

WASHINGTON – Corporate tax evasion has evolved into a virtual art form. Two-thirds of US corporations didn't pay so much as a dime in taxes between 1998 and 2005, exploiting a multitude of loopholes, according to a Congressional report.

Targeting corporations who evade taxes turned out to be quite the anti-austerity rallying cry in England, where a new prime minister is pushing painful cuts for working people.

Now, that same rallying cry is going out across the United States, where the anti-spending tea party movement has in recent years overshadowed the voices of those who want gover

(visit the link for the full news article)

Protest fever seems to be sweeping the world and today looks like it is going to be a big day here in the U.S.

Some of them are going to be put on by U.S. Uncut a group modeled after an England’s version who is targeting the vast majority of corporations that don’t pay tax, through loopholes that lobbyists that they hire, usually get written for them to be able to not have to pay tax.

While our corporations get bigger and bigger and more monopolistic and suck more and more cash out of circulation into record profits that rarely ever translate in to cost of living wages or benefits for workers, or new plants, factories, offices or facilities that employ Americans, they also pay little to no taxes on those earnings.

Where as the average middle class American pays 25 to 32% plus in Federal Income Taxes alone.

Tax dollars often go to paying for the infrastructure improvements that most benefit commerce and industry, yet commerce and industry that profits most off of them pays little to nothing towards them.

So in essence we are underwriting the cost of doing business for the corporations, with the corporations doing nothing but sucking the economy dry, and corrupting the political process through their lobbyists who clog up the halls of congress.

Meanwhile small Indian Tribal Reservations such as the Miccosukee Indians here in Miami who live on sovereign land not only pay no Federal Income taxes, but their tribal members pay no Tribal tax, but instead receive annual dividends from the community pooling of the tribes resources and business that amount to often well over a 100,000 a year per family.

Our much larger tribe, with many times the land and resources aka the United States of America instead sells our resources for a pittance to the corporations who go out of their way not to pay a dime towards government or even reinvest their profits in America.

I hope the U.S. Uncut protests take off!


www.rawstory.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Nice post, I wish the group well, but let's face it, nothing short of a complete rousting of our elected officials and the complete disbandment of both political parties will ever let us get back to a point where corporations pay a fair share of taxes. This isn't "anti-corporatism", as the majority of companies struggle to make a profit, it should be seen as specifically against those titanic corporations that have earned billions while the US slides into default, who's profit margins are so extreme and practices are so monopolistic that they have twisted government to their will - Big Oil, Big Pharm, the Defense Industries, the Energy Consortiums, etc.

I suspect your post will attract an army of corporate sock-puppets to defend their practices, who will call the idea of corporations having to pay their fair share "socialism", "communism", or "spread the wealth". Obviously the people behind this movement must be "Liberals", "Socialists/Communists", or "union thugs". (they won't let the tag "non-partisan" fool them!)

Those corporate tax-loopholes took years of bribery, influence-peddling, and outright corruption to get into place. If your city or state wants to attract a major corporation, it better come armed with a hefty package of tax breaks, and when those expire, they'll uproot for some place else.

Phun Phacts: Corporations are legally considered persons and yet are exempt from any of the laws that govern natural persons like you or I! That is equality at its finest.

Of course, the founding documents of the USA offer absolutely zero protection against corporations, which existed even at the time the Constitution was drafted. All MEN are created equal, but a corporation is not a man! They do enjoy all of the privileges of legal personhood, though.

I have to admit some confusion...

Corporations have never paid "taxes" like people do. They are not people.

A corporation is a business construct. It involves a name (i.e., Pepsico) and a number (usually a financial id #).

How would a name on some pieces of paper and an id # pay taxes?

I'd like to have a legit discussion about this.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


That is exactly what we need, elect all new representatives in Washington, a new party, a new government.

Cut the fed res loose and let them pay their own debts.

Start fresh with a new fed treas currency.

Throw a lot of Wall Street crooks in jail.

Reinstate usury laws, max interest on any loan should be limited to 15%. Time for banks to start paying a reasonable interest rate on savings once again.

The only way a corporation could pay taxes is by cutting a part of it's gross receipts and giving that money to the government. We all agree on this, correct? So, I ask you then, who is really paying those taxes? Corporations are going to try to maximize profits, this is a given. They will see taxes as an "expense", a cost of doing business. As with all other costs associated with doing business, the corporation will attempt to recover those costs. How will they do this? They will pass the cost, ie the taxes, along to the purchaser of their product/service in the form of higher prices. Thus I ask again, who is actually "paying" those corporate taxes???????

Originally posted by SmedleyBurlap
Phun Phacts: Corporations are legally considered persons and yet are exempt from any of the laws that govern natural persons like you or I! That is equality at its finest.

Of course, the founding documents of the USA offer absolutely zero protection against corporations, which existed even at the time the Constitution was drafted. All MEN are created equal, but a corporation is not a man! They do enjoy all of the privileges of legal personhood, though.

What's even less known to most people is the pre-existing colonial corporations owned by European Royals and Oiligarchs and Banks were protected fully in the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War with the Founders agreeing to honor all contracts with, and make all payments and debts to, those corporations moving forward and in perpituity.

Little is known about our national debt, but if one takes the time to read the material compiled by Samuel Hazard the former State's Registar in Pennsylvania where he transposed all the documents from the earliest colonial days of America that were saved under William's Penn 'Great Law' decreeing every act of government no matter how big or small be recorded and kept in perpituity, we actually see that most of the infrastructure in the Colonial United States was built by the Government for the benefit of commerce to move goods to lucrative markets.

Yet the truth is that the Corporations at the time benefited immensely from this, and were lured to invest by people like those in WIlliam Penn's 'Free Trade Society' by being told that the Tax Payers would offset the cost of the Infrastructure improvements for the Corporations so the Corporations could enjoy much higher profits.

So the Europeans invested 'Stock' human beings kicked off their Feudal Estates and sent to America to labor on the infrastructure with a portion of their wages being paid to the Lord who sent them for their passage here, and a portion taken in taxes to actually pay for what they were laboring on! Bond Loans were actually the seed money to pay for the enterprise of creating infrastructure and to bind the people being sent to create it through their labor to the endeavor, until these same laborers through taxation could repay the entire cost!

These debts were gauranteed by the Founding Fathers in the Treaty of Paris and indeed in Hazard's Material we can see that payment of these debts continued on right through the 1850's when he published his material, as well as lists of some of the principle European Investors, Corporations and Banks the State of Pennsylvania owed monies too from not just pre-colonial times, but post colonial times too, as even after the Revolutionary War, European banks dominated the financial and monetary picture here in America and human beings from Europe were sill sent over in waves by Fuedal Lords in Europe to keep building and expanding the infrastructure as we kept displacing the Indian Natives westward and expanding on their heels.

We still pay on these debts today, and who doesn't pay are the corporations that profited from the debts being taken out in the first place.

The truth is, we are made to feel lucky to pay taxes for roads, schools, hospitals, but the truth is that the Corporations in order to get to the raw materials and resources and manufacture, ship and market them would have to pay for all these things themselves, including schools to teach people how to grow up to be workers, and hospitals to care for them when sick and injured.

Ours is a system that favors corporations over human beings, rewards them to a far greater extent, binds them with far fewer laws and restrictions, gives them free reign to do just about anything they want to do to monopolize or control a market, and pay the Government next to nothing for the privelege.

www.ebooksread.com... gister-of-pennsylvania--devoted-to-the-preservation-of-facts-and-document-aza.shtml

US Uncut is something we have needed for about 240 years now!

...And they'll start whining if they have to pay taxes they won't be able to stay in business, or they'll have massive layoffs. Who cares, they're already moving all their manufacturing facilities overseas and probably hiding profits in some Swiss bank account. In the mean time...the average worker on measly pay just rolls over and pays, pays, pays. Some clueless workers will continue to argue for corporations and no regulations while we get screwed. We have power in numbers yet we keep on bending over and taking it where the sun don't shine.

Originally posted by MMPI2
I have to admit some confusion...

Corporations have never paid "taxes" like people do. They are not people.

A corporation is a business construct. It involves a name (i.e., Pepsico) and a number (usually a financial id #).

How would a name on some pieces of paper and an id # pay taxes?

I'd like to have a legit discussion about this.

Come up with a legitimate idea, and I'll be more than happy to discuss it with you.

Originally posted by sonofliberty1776
The only way a corporation could pay taxes is by cutting a part of it's gross receipts and giving that money to the government. We all agree on this, correct? So, I ask you then, who is really paying those taxes? Corporations are going to try to maximize profits, this is a given. They will see taxes as an "expense", a cost of doing business. As with all other costs associated with doing business, the corporation will attempt to recover those costs. How will they do this? They will pass the cost, ie the taxes, along to the purchaser of their product/service in the form of higher prices. Thus I ask again, who is actually "paying" those corporate taxes???????

To give you an idea how insane this system works, when the big oil companies started building up the Middle East and exporting petroleum out of it, they actually only paid the arab states they were drilling it from a 'tax' per barrel.

That was the only profit most arab nations saw before OPEC the tax that they taxed on the oil being drilled and exported.

However the oil companies got to deduct that 'tax' they were paying to the Arabs as a foreign tax and not part of their income!

reply to post by MMPI2


It doesnt really matter much HOW taxes are collected, only that they ARE collected, and any loopholes allowing the most profitable companies to avoid tax, are closed.

If what you mean is why should a company pay tax, well its very simple. Here in Britain , its called corperation tax. The rationale is that a company requires some of the services provided by government , which residents of that nation also use. Some examples would be the roads that carry supplies , and customers to a business premises, the national grid infrastructure ,postal services, litter or rubish collection and so on , and so forth. For this and so much more, the government demands a percentage of thier profits in tax.

Now, those companies which are too small to hire an accountancy and legal team that would frighten government lawmakers silly, merely pay thier dues, and sometimes suffer bankruptcy over them, as late paying can be catastrophic to a young business, or a business which although a community hub, is in a deprived area.
However, the massive multinationals , which have MASSIVE legal teams, armies of shrewd accountants, and shareholders all around the world, some how dodge these taxes.

Here even the company that provides stationery, maintanance and computer parts to the HMRC (Her Majesties Revenue & Customs, the dudes who deal with tax collection amongst other things) evade tax, and even more hilarious ... They overcharge the state for all thier supplies by a whopping 80% , meaning they are basicaly stealing from the taxpayer TWICE.

The real problem is , that if a small business owner tried that, he would get strung up for it, as would any resident of the nation if they were caught fiddling the books, or merely avoiding payment. Therefore it is utterly bizzare that the same behaviour on a MASSIVE scale, isnt more harshly dealt with when the big companies are involved.

well, if I understand the general pro-corporate, anti-Union neo-con philosophy being spewed throughout ATS these days, Corporations are our HEROS! Thy create jobs out of thin air! They clean the water (they polluted).They bring us jobs (we pay for with tax breaks). Corporations are AWESOME!

It's the damn people who are the problem.

Originally posted by WeRpeons
...And they'll start whining if they have to pay taxes they won't be able to stay in business, or they'll have massive layoffs. Who cares, they're already moving all their manufacturing facilities overseas and probably hiding profits in some Swiss bank account. In the mean time...the average worker on measly pay just rolls over and pays, pays, pays. Some clueless workers will continue to argue for corporations and no regulations while we get screwed. We have power in numbers yet we keep on bending over and taking it where the sun don't shine.

Most of what we are taught to do is based on fear.

Love God but if you don't fear hell.

Obey the police because if we didn't have them everyone would run around raping and killing and stealing from everyone.

Don't make the corporations pay taxes because they will lose money and go out of business.

These are the same corporations that will give American jobs to Chinese, Indians, Mexicans in there countries, and while giving illegal immigrants jobs here in this country to stagnate the minimum and living wage to keep it artificially low, while getting all kinds of subsidies that we pay for!

One thing the war on terror has proved is the "home of the land of the free and brave" is populated by people who respond more to fear, and aren't so free!

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Im with you.... If business would sign contracts keeping business here, then and only then could they get tax breaks... Otherwise no...


The other thing is that we need to make enough businesses that we outnumber the giant corporations.

reply to post by Blackmarketeer

I suspect your post will attract an army of corporate sock-puppets to defend their practices, who will call the idea of corporations having to pay their fair share "socialism", "communism", or "spread the wealth". Obviously the people behind this movement must be "Liberals", "Socialists/Communists", or "union thugs". (they won't let the tag "non-partisan" fool them!)

No it attracts us small business people. The big corporations ALWAYS manage to spin these movements into competition killers. I would not be surprised if this is a PTB instigated movement to head off the screaming from small businesses that we will be hearing next year. As the Ugly Side Effect of Healthcare Bill's 1099 Law completely paralyzes business.

Another prime example The Food Safety Law:

I bring it up because we are going to see the impact of that EVIL law next year in skyrocketing food costs and the demise of America's Independent farmers.

According to the USDA, almost 90 percent of the total income of rancher or farmer households now comes from outside earnings. There are 2.2 million farms in the USA. According to the 2007 census over half the farms, 1,167,751, reported losses, with an average loss $15,596. Only 4,048 are full time farmers deriving 100% of the income from farming. Those are the big corporate farms. (Corporate farms - -Non Family 5,105)

Only 396,054 farms have gains of over $25,000 a year, that means 1.8 million are near or BELOW the poverty threshold. (Number of farms with net gains, 1,037,041 avg net gain $33,827)

Now those farmers who have to work a SECOND job to put food on YOUR table are going to have to Frackin' document every move they make, determine "Hazardous Control Points" and have written plans. I used to write FDA documentation plans and believe me I have met FDA inspectors and PhD scientists who could not write those plans.

Originally posted by HunkaHunka
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

Im with you.... If business would sign contracts keeping business here, then and only then could they get tax breaks... Otherwise no...


The other thing is that we need to make enough businesses that we outnumber the giant corporations.

Through our previous public discussions here on ATS, we have discussed your struggles as a small business owner many times.

The truth is unless your business falls in a niche market or enjoys a tremendous location competing with the purchasing power of the corporations is near impossible and has nearly destroyed the entrepenurial ability of the average American to make a go of a business of their own.

Corporations are skirting the 'anti-trust' and 'monopoly' laws through spider webs of corporations.

A good example is recently I did an Internet search to see if Jiffy Pop popcorn the kind with the stove top popper that still expands is still on the market today.

My local grocer does not carry it, and I have not seen it in years, but when discussing the qualities of popcorn in idle conversation with a friend I became curious.

The Internet Search led me to Con Agra's web site, where a drop down menu of products displayed to me that every brand of popcorn on your grocer's shelf, and I do mean EVERY BRAND is owned by Con Agra but marketed through different corporate names.

So that's a classic monopoly as Con Agra exclusively controls the market in pop-corn but it doesn't appear to be a monopoly because they sell it through close to a dozen different corporations under different brand names in their corporate umbrella.

Needless to say I would not advise going into the Popcorn Business and this is just one example of which when you start studying the corporate spider webs keep taking you back to a few principle players on the Boards of Directors and in the ownership structure.

In reality because the Corporations control such a high percentage of the resources and vital infrastructure they are in a dictatorial position with the government.

No wonder they don't have to pay taxes!

reply to post by Blackmarketeer

I suspect your post will attract an army of corporate sock-puppets to defend their practices, who will call the idea of corporations having to pay their fair share "socialism", "communism", or "spread the wealth". Obviously the people behind this movement must be "Liberals", "Socialists/Communists", or "union thugs". (they won't let the tag "non-partisan" fool them!)

Yep, Look!:

Originally posted by sonofliberty1776
The only way a corporation could pay taxes is by cutting a part of it's gross receipts and giving that money to the government. We all agree on this, correct? So, I ask you then, who is really paying those taxes? Corporations are going to try to maximize profits, this is a given. They will see taxes as an "expense", a cost of doing business. As with all other costs associated with doing business, the corporation will attempt to recover those costs. How will they do this? They will pass the cost, ie the taxes, along to the purchaser of their product/service in the form of higher prices. Thus I ask again, who is actually "paying" those corporate taxes???????

reply to post by inkyminds


What I find interesting is that many of the pro-government, pro-war, pro-patriot act, pro-TSA, pro-corporate, pro-police posters often have "Patriotic" themed screen names and avatars.

It's as if the power of suggestion is more persuasive than the power of fact.

Originally posted by inkyminds

Originally posted by sonofliberty1776
The only way a corporation could pay taxes is by cutting a part of it's gross receipts and giving that money to the government. We all agree on this, correct? So, I ask you then, who is really paying those taxes? Corporations are going to try to maximize profits, this is a given. They will see taxes as an "expense", a cost of doing business. As with all other costs associated with doing business, the corporation will attempt to recover those costs. How will they do this? They will pass the cost, ie the taxes, along to the purchaser of their product/service in the form of higher prices. Thus I ask again, who is actually "paying" those corporate taxes???????

LOL, would you care to point out the part of this post that is false? How do you think a "fictional person" would pay taxes?

How about try to answer the question. Who REALLY PAYS?