Five Tax Fallacies Invented by the 1%
By: Paul Buchheit We hear these claims often, even though they’re entirely false. An analysis of the facts should make that clear. (1) The Rich Pay Almost All the Taxes [...]
By: Paul Buchheit We hear these claims often, even though they’re entirely false. An analysis of the facts should make that clear. (1) The Rich Pay Almost All the Taxes [...]
This is tax time, or in the case of many big businesses, just another time without taxes. These companies deserve to be recognized. With the help of SEC data and the results of several excellent research studies, PayUpNow.org has selected the ‘winners’ of the 2011 Tax Avoidance Awards. First a review of last year’s results. The top spot went to General Electric, which made pre-tax profits of $44 billion from 2008 to 2010 but received almost $5 billion in refunds. A GE spokesperson added, “We are committed to acting with integrity in relation to our tax obligations.”
With the mainstream media in the hands of the mostly conservative wealthy, it’s difficult for average Americans to learn the truth about critical issues. The following five conservative claims are examples of mythical beliefs that fall apart in the presence of inconvenient facts.
Beyond the fact that we’re ‘entitled’ to Social Security and Medicare because we pay for them, these two government-run programs have been largely self-sustaining while supporting the needs of millions of Americans.
Unfortunately, a little well-placed progressive sarcasm can’t compete with the ongoing 40-year right-wing campaign to capture the sympathies of an impressionable public. It’s a remarkable accomplishment on their part. Even [...]
Before getting into the best reason, here are some of the usual — and always good — reasons. First of all, For every dollar the richest 1% earned in 1980, [...]
It’s fitting that the G8 is meeting in my beloved but beleaguered hometown of Chicago this May. In a city with the highest sales tax in the country, where the [...]
A cynic might argue that business leaders and their friends in Congress weren’t expecting different results. In either case, we’ve become a bipolar nation, 1% manic and 99% depressive. Our [...]
On October 20, 2011, after five months as an unemployed college graduate with a music degree, I read the news about Congress rejecting a bill that would have supported education. [...]
Not an angry response, though. ‘Amused’ is probably more accurate, since a little research shows that James Q. Wilson’s article is filled with the tired old defense mechanisms of people [...]
Inequality is a disease of society, a cancer growing out of control at one end of the body while the rest of it withers away. It’s not just about the [...]