[Art of Corporate Monster @2004 by Wendy P. Lee]You've seen the signs promoting something call the Fair Tax. As I understand it, the so-called Fair Tax would abolish the graduated income tax and increase sales taxes so that all people would pay a "fair" tax.
'Tis a bothersome thing that not a few people who should know better are climbing on the band wagon in support of this nonsense. This is just one more scam by which the rich would pay even less tax than they do now relative to their income and the rest of us would end up paying more. The graduated income tax is much "fairer" than the so-called Fair Tax program advocated by these know-nothings.
Under the Bush administration we have become involved in the Afghan War, the Iraq War, something undecipherable known as the Terror War and so far as the great majority of the people in this country are concerned, the Class War.
Under the Bush administration, the rich have become enormously richer, the middle class has been decimated, and the poor - well, let's just say they have been clobbered mightily!
Nowhere has this class war been portrayed more dramatically than in a Congressional report which revealed that fully two-thirds of the corporations in our beloved land avoided paying any income taxes between 1998 and 2005! They paid NONE!
Not only so, but this report, which came from the Government Accountability Office, further noted that 68 percent of foreign companies doing business in the United States paid no corporate taxes during that same time frame!
What's involved here are "trillions of dollars in sales."
How do these corporate pirates get by with this? The GAO (which didn't identify specific companies by name) claimed they "escape paying such taxes due to operating losses or because of tax credits." In other words it's an accounting scam, made possible by their government friends in high places.
Consider these stats: In 2005, almost 120 million U.S. companies avoided paying any income tax to the U.S., and 38,000 foreign companies racked up NO tax liability. Many of the U.S. corporations are behemoths, which means they held some $250 million in assets and garnered a minimum of $50 million is receipts.
Senators Byron Dorgan, D-ND, and Carl Levin, D-Mich, requested the study. Dorgan said he thought "It's time for the big corporations to pay their fair share."
Hells bells. It's time for the big corporations to pay any share!
When you throw into this mix of corporate welfare the Bush tax cuts, which have been a gift from heaven to the richest of the rich, it becomes quite clear that the Repugnicans have declared war on the poor and the middle class!
It's also clear that this class war has been engaged through the connivance of a Congress beholden to the same corporate interests as the Executive Branch.
How it will end is not clear. Right now the middle class and the poor are losing badly. We have few weapons with which to fight, other than the ballot box, and the Repugnicans have been working hard to negate that particular armament, too.
Of one thing you can be sure: John "Surely MacCaine," the mega-rich Arizona senator, the best friend a lobbyist ever had, the man to which corporate America turns for help, will not join sides with the poor and middle class if elected prezident!
3 comments:
First of all, where do corporations get the money to pay taxes? From consumers! Corporations don't pay taxes, consumers do. Corporate taxes have nothing to do with taxing the rich. They're just hidden federal sales taxes on consumers. The only thing corporations actually pay are wages so, the real result of taxing corporations is higher prices, lower wages and increased unemployment.
Secondly, place the blame where it belongs. It's ironic that you would refer to corporations that legally avoid paying federal income taxes as "pirates" when Congress is the only corporation that is stealing everybodies money. If the poor and the middle class are being over taxed, it's nobodies fault but our elected leaders in Congress.
Thirdly, this is why Bush's corporate tax cuts have done nothing but help the poor and the middle class. That and the stimulous checks are probably the only things Bush did to help Americans. But they don't go far enough. There is no good reason to tax businesses at all. And there is no good reason to tax income.
Fourthly, this is why the Fair tax is the best thing for American. It's NOT a tax cut for the rich, it's a major tax hike which they can't avoid. It's also NOT a tax hike on the poor or middle class since all or most of the tax is refunded to them even before they've spent it! Honestly, the only people in Congress who oppose the Fair tax are the crooks and bastards who draw their power and wealth from the income tax system.
Luckily, here in Central Florida, the tax problem is being resolved quickly. Unemployment has removed a lot of people from paying any taxes. Many retail establishments have seen their sales seriously reduced, so the revenue from sales taxes has been reduced. We all know about the housing market, so we know real estate taxes will also be reduced drastically. Many large corporations have left our area and others have filed bankruptcy. That leaves people on pensions or disabilities but much of their income is not taxable. Soon we will have no taxes, so that problem will be solved, thank God. Central Florida is a lovely place to live and if I get rid of my tax burden, it will be even better. I read in today’s paper that the sale of gasoline is way down, so the taxes from that source are also down. What is left to be taxed and who will pay them? If I stay home, I will not need the police to patrol the highways. That will reduce the need for whatever taxes remain, except for the Fire Department. I think we use a volunteer one anyway, so that can continue too. Actually, we do not smoke, so we do not expect any fire in our house. We will cancel our insurances as soon as I am convinced that no harm will come to my car or house. My health is good and the VA takes care of me. I understand that volunteers will take me to the VA if I give up my car. I look forward to a tax less existence soon. Who will pay the Fair Tax anyway?
Bob Poris
Have you lost your mind Jacob? You are absolutely crazy! Read my lips Businesses DO NOT PAY TAXES, they PASS THEM ON! Your friend Mr. Dorgan is LYING TO YOU!
FAIRTAX!
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