Saturday, August 16, 2008

No taxes?

Did anyone read The New York Times report last week on the fact that 2 of 3 corporations doing business in the U. S. don't pay income taxes? Must be nice, huh?

Worth reading.

Lot's to consider, I'd say.

How about you?

.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

"...corporations that did not pay(income) taxes had net losses, he said, and thus no income on which to pay taxes. “The notion that there is a large pool of untaxed corporate profits is incorrect.”

Why is nice to not make a profit, as profit is the measure of added benifit to the society?

Larry James said...

c hand, it is fine to quote the source I refer to, but you need to point out that the person making this point disagreed with the report in general. His comment cannot be taken to mean that all the corporations not paying taxes are doing so because they had net losses. That, of course, is not true. By your logic the point would be that 2 of 3 American corporations failed to show a profit over the period in question. This of course is laughable. Disagree if you like, but don't distort the report to line up with you bias.

And, I agree, there is nothing wrong with making a profit. It is just that those who make a profit should pay their fair share for the national good.

Anonymous said...

Yes Larry, tax evasion is a problem that will rise and fall with tax rates. However envy is not funny and should not be encouraged. A large number of small businesses will structure themselves so as to break even on the books, while doing a part for the communal good.
The point to notice is that the income tax is one of the least effective and least moral of tax systems.

Chris said...

Speaking of fair share, the top 1% of wage earners pay 34% of federal income tax. Then people complain about tax cuts for the rich. How could anyone else get tax cuts when they don't pay taxes?

Anonymous said...

LJ,
I do not read the NYT as its primarily a daily talking points for the left. BTW, most of the non-paying corporations in the US are small business, barely scraping by. These businesses are not in a position to subsidize non tax paying indviduals through corporate taxes.

Anonymous said...

All I can say is - I sure am glad these business employee people and give back to the communities. There would be a whole lot more problems if these people didn't work and provide for there families and stimulate the economy. If you don't like capitalism move to a dictatorship run country and see how to survive.

Daniel Gray said...

Anonymous -- don't forget all of those corporations who have moved overseas in search of cheap wage-slavery in order to bow at the feet of the almighty dollar and higher profits... that sure has done wonders for our "community" back home.

Anonymous said...

Larry - i am a bit curious as to why you did not mention the fact that C Hand pointed out the author made... even if you wanted to take issue with it or emphasize the point you made in response to C Hand. Seems like you are as guilty of biased reporting as you claim C Hand is. why not lay it all out there and let us form our opinions on ALL of the information instead of picking and choosing the facts to support your position, which by the way seems to be always against those who work hard and are considered wealthy.

Larry James said...

Anonymous 10:00 AM, if you read my post, I think most people would say that what you request is exactly what I did. My response to chand did not say that what he quotes is not in the article, it is just that he didn't include the main points of the essay in his reply. I don't think I've ever argued against people who work hard. I have pointed out often that many people work very hard in our nation and can't make it. Our tax policy needs to be examined for the benefit of ALL, not just a few. No one answers my observation that 2 of 3 American corporations could not possibly be failing, else we would be in a deeper hole than we are currently. I readily admit that I am an advocate for the poor. If that is bias in your book, so be it. For whom are you an advocate and how does your role in that regard relate to your faith life?

Anonymous said...

Daniel, with which oversees brown people are you most upset. Do you care what they might want or have you sliped into xenophobia?

Daniel Gray said...

I made no such statement about "brown" people, c hand... your pandering to racism is despicable.

Please, describe to me the average condition of a worker employed to the benefit of an American company overseas. Just please do it without the distortion and race-baiting. It's incredibly dishonest and immature.

Anonymous said...

Daniel, what do you suppose your statement about oversees jobs sounds like to a Bangladeshi? Does he see you as friend or foe?

Who are people whose employment you object to?

Daniel Gray said...

C hand,
Again, I'm not opposed to improving the quality of life for those in Asia. However, the jobs that many American companies provide overseas do not improve the quality of life and sometimes make it worse. Ever heard of a sweatshop?

If you can't understand that line of reasoning, then please stop. Your manipulative comments are nothing more than race-baiting and it's shameful.

Anonymous said...

Daniel, you may not be doing it with malice but think about the effect of your retoric and consider whether or not you are "opposed to improving the quality of life for those" people.
Do you care that those with "sweatshop" jobs see you as their biggest enemy? Empty cliches may make you feel better but they can have a real life impact on others.