taxes

Global companies are not interested in raising living standards in a particular country or improving any nation’s competitiveness. Their singular goal is to maximize returns to their investors. The success of these corporations has inverted the economic need for competition — from the private sector to the public, from benefiting the consumer and worker to their detriment.

Greece can be seen as a case study of what not to do during troubled economic times: A safety net destroyed, public unions decimated and massive corporate tax breaks that did nothing to help their economy, leading only to skyrocketing unemployment. Now, Wisconsin sadly serves as a parallel study.

In the past twenty years, corporate profits have quadrupled while the corporate tax percent has dropped by half. The payroll tax, paid by workers, has doubled.

Here’s one consequence of sequestration that you don’t (and won’t) hear many Republicans complaining about: the IRS has furloughed more than 89,000 employees, due to the sequester. My guess is that suits Republicans just fine. They can’t come right out and say as much, so they’re not tweeting this story as much as the FAA furloughs.

The hiring by American companies is not happening in the U.S. At the same time these companies are holding $1.7 trillion of profits outside of the country, away from their own shareholders and our economy to avoid their taxes, while pushing to dramatically lower the taxes they pay us.

This Tax Day, 55 percent of Americans regard the income taxes they have to pay as fair, the lowest percentage Gallup has measured since 2001.

Local chapters of Marriage Equality USA will participate in annual Tax Day Actions at local post offices around the country on April 15, holding signs like “25 Years Together, Still Filing Single,” “No Taxation with Discrimination” and “Tax Us the Same, Treat Us the Same.”

Here’s an outrage that must be changed: Big Pharma has been systematically price-gouging the Medicare program for seniors and people with disabilities — and raking in billions in excessive profits. The 11 largest global drug companies made an astonishing $711 billion in profits over the 10 years.

Multinational corporations have built their businesses on the backs of American taxpayers. Yet they've turned around and mocked us with declining tax payments, low wages and dwindling retirement support.