Due to completely messed up U.S. tax policies, some even got a rebate check. Only small businesses pay taxes. Big companies often pay nothing at all.
Look at a new report from Citizens for Tax Justice ( http://ctj.org/ctjreports/2015/04/fifteen_of_many_reasons_why_we_need_corporate_tax_reform.php#.VSbihhPF8QY ), a Washington, D.C. group. It finds that some of nation's most famous brands have paid remarkably little to the government over the last five years. In fact, many actually enjoyed a negative tax rate: They received a nice rebate check from the U.S. Treasury.
The 15 giants highlighted by CTJ were chosen to represent a wide range of industries among Fortune 500 companies. They include CBS, Mattel, Prudential, and the California utility PG&E. Together, they paid no federal income tax in 2014, despite profits totaling $23 billion. CTJ's point is that these companies are not anomalies, they are examples.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @01:38AM
> A civilization based on slavery is a misnomer.
Like I said, conclusion as premise. Circular turtles all the way down.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @02:51AM
Gee, I guess slavery IS okay then! You've convinced me! [/sarcasm]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 15 2015, @03:39AM
It isn't slavery, it's babblebrox.
(Score: 1) by Fauxlosopher on Wednesday April 15 2015, @07:09PM
This is my premise: the exclusive owner of a given human body is the human being that inhabits the body in question.
Since the owner of property owns any additional property that the original property produces, it follows that a claim of ownership on a human body's labor is in fact a claim of ownership on the human body itself. Thus, taxation (including but not necessarily limited to the income and sales variety) is slavery.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @02:16AM
Except for, you know, the whole fact that you are still the exclusive owner of your body and everything it produces. Unlike slaves, you do not belong to anyone except yourself; you are free to not work, to leave any time, to do whatever you want, etc. Conflating taxation with slavery is whats known as false analogy. [wikipedia.org] Voluntarily paying a small portion of one's income in exchange for using the benefits provided by taxation is about as far from slavery as you can get.
(Score: 1) by Fauxlosopher on Thursday April 16 2015, @03:40AM
As a rule, I'm generally uninterested in debating with someone who appears to be intentionally resorting to deception. Are you honestly claiming that payment of income taxes is considered to be voluntary [youtube.com] by the US fedgov?
I expect you to have some impressive evidence to back up that claim.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday April 16 2015, @07:13AM
Are you honestly claiming that payment of income taxes is considered to be voluntary by the US fedgov?
Yes. You can leave, as stated by 47 other people today.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 1) by Fauxlosopher on Thursday April 16 2015, @07:45AM
Wrong [irs.gov]. Even renouncing US citizenship is subject to rapidly-increasing fees [forbes.com]/tax.
Though you meant to present the false choice to "physically leave or be a slave/pay tax", as posted previously [soylentnews.org], I have in fact left your plantation.
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday April 16 2015, @03:48PM
So by "wrong" you mean "actually, correct, you just have to pay a fee and fill out paperwork to renounce your citizenship and then you're golden."
So you're living outside the U.S. but refuse to pay the fee to cut the tie? Man, you're one tough guy to please.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @05:11PM
Wrong again. Not surprising, though, since you apparently can't be arsed to read [soylentnews.org].