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TAXES, WE DON’T PAY NO STINKIN' TAXES SAYS VERIZON,
AS THE 99% CRIES FOUL!
With
The Tax Dodgers, OWS Occupy the Boardroom, United NY, Make
the Road NY, Strong Economy for All, NY Communities for Change,
Vocal New York, C.W.A., 99% NY, and other members of the 99%
Verizon Communications has been identified as one of the country’s worst
tax dodgers. Between 2008 - 2010, Verizon actually received $951 million
net in federal tax refunds, our public dollars, making their effective federal
tax rate average to 3% or less. So, an outraged coalition decided to “occupy”
Verizon headquarters to call attention to the fact that corporations like Verizon,
GE, Bank of America, and others are not paying their fair share of taxes,
juxtaposed with a time when the minimum wage is too low to permit people to
pay their bills and feed their families. The occupiers came to say corporate
‘tax dodgers’ like Verizon, that made over $25 billion in pre-tax US income,
and paid $173 million in compensation to their top five executives, with $56
million going to their CEO alone – and spending $52 million for lobbying was
obscene while at the same time, since 2008 laying off 20,000 employees.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the occupation, a new sports franchise, the “Tax
Dodgers” had the audacity to show up. One of the players, claiming to be
former Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg introduced the “Tax Dodgers,” who he
explained symbolized the lobbyists and other groups who likely received a
portion of the money that Verizon saved in taxes, while the occupiers cried
foul. Tune in to hear the response of the 99%ers to Verizon and to the Tax
Dodgers, who demonstrated their agility at stealing bases!
Produced by Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash
please email us if you plan to broadcast this program = knash@igc.org
