Teabag protesters should ask if Rupert Murdoch has paid his fair share of taxes

Original Link: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Teabag-protesters-should-a-by-Mary-MacElveen-090415-960.html

By Mary MacElveen

Just before logging onto my computer this morning, I saw my garbage truck come to pick-up my paper recycling as it does every other week. How is service paid for? Through my taxes. Like it or not we do need it picked up.

My children are receiving a first-rate education through our public school where teachers and guidance councilors are doing a first-rate job. How are my children; our children provided this education? Through our taxes.

We all gripe when our cars hit a pot-hole on the street which is natural. We want them fixed and those who do fix it are paid through our taxes. They are providing a service so that cars do not break their axels should they hit a pot hole.

How many of us have had to call 911 in times of emergency? Well those police officers along with the dispatchers that direct them to the location are paid through our taxes.

I can almost guarantee that some of these ‘teabag protesters’ who are protesting today support our troops. Don’t they realize our collective taxes pay to keep all of us safe? Yes, in this dangerous world we still need standing armies. If they do support our troops, shouldn’t they also provide for them when they come home to insure they have quality healthcare? One only has to remember the Walter Reed scandal.

I can almost guarantee you that many of these ‘teabag protesters’ were a part of the patriotic wave that swept this country after the attacks that befell us all on 9/11. As we all witnessed brave fire fighters fight those fires down at Ground Zero for days on end and where so many lost their lives, that service was paid for by our tax dollars. Even everyday fires are fought by firefighters that do come to our aid are funded by our tax dollars.

We all want safe water to drink and that also requires taxes paid to build and maintain water treatment plants. We all want to eat food that is safe for us and that requires adequate funding for the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as we have witnessed the contamination of peanuts and now pistachios. Well to keep all of us safe, it does require taxes collected to insure our safety.

Are these ‘teabag protesters’ stating to all of us that they do not want to pay any taxes? That is exactly the feeling I get from witnessing them. Oh and as they pour those tea bags in large numbers into any body of water; that is pollution and for that, they should be ashamed of themselves. How many sea creatures can die by ingesting these tea bags and in one case I saw a woman fling a plastic bag filled with them into the sea. If I were a local EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) official, I would slap anyone dumping these teabags into our water ways with a hefty fine.

I do not think this protest is truly about the paying of taxes, but Fox News undermining the presidency of President Barack Obama. I have witnessed through feeds those attending prior ones question the citizenship of our president. Is Fox News trying to stir up a conspiracy theory that took hold when then Senator Obama entered the race? Is this the premise of these protests? Well, if Fox News were to go to FactCheck.org, they will see proof of his citizenship. Let us remember that many credible news sources use this site when fact checking any speech made by a political official. Oh then again, Fox News isn’t one.

If I were these protesters, I would be going after tax-haven sites which provide services to their clients to shelter them from paying their fair share of the tax burden. In fact this one site states, “We offer fast professional offshore company incorporation services online in several offshore tax havens at low costs including offshore bank accounts in well established banks in Europe, USA and the Caribbean. All this is reinforced with great customer service - a combination that can't be beat!”

Or how about this site, Never Pay U.S. Taxes Again - Legally, which cites that through expatriation, “It’s been called “the ultimate estate plan” and it’s a legal, step-by-step process that can lead to the legal right for you to stop paying U.S. or other national income taxes—forever.” It goes onto state, "for U.S. citizens, this unusual plan requires, as a final step toward tax freedom, the formal relinquishment of citizenship." Nice huh?

Get angry with those who do not pay their fair share of the tax burden who would rather have you pay for vital services instead of contributing their share.

I would like to bring to your attention this lovely article I just found titled, No Accounting for Tax Havens first published in 2002, and how it applies to Rupert Murdoch who owns Fox News. Within this one published article, you will clearly read, “Consider the case of News Corporation, the corporate empire of Rupert Murdoch. For the four years to 30th June 1998, it generated pre-tax profits of $5.4 billion but paid tax of only A$325 million, an effective tax rate of only 6%”

As people like Rupert Murdoch hide these vast amounts of money in places such as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, the Netherlands Antilles as well as the British Virgin Islands, there is nothing illegal about it. In fact this one report states so.

But, it is this one gem that should have people tearing out their hair, "In Britain, the tax burden on the wealthy elite and corporations has been declining. The top rate of income tax has been reduced from 83% to 40%. The corporation tax rate has been reduced from 52% to 30%, the lowest in British history"

In this 2004 article, Who is Rupert Murdoch?, it cites, “he is a far-right partisan who has used his empire explicitly to pull American political debate to the right. He is also an enabler of the oppressive tactics employed by dictatorial regimes, and a man who admits to having hidden money in tax havens.” Shocker!

As you 'teabag protesters' direct your anger at our government, be doubly angry at a tax cheat in Rupert Murdoch as one reads this piece published in December of 1997, A World of Loopholes, Havens Boosts News Corp.'s Profits. Pay attention to this, “News Corp. has mastered the use of the offshore tax haven. The company reduces its annual tax bill by channeling profits through dozens of subsidiaries in low-tax or no-tax places such as the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.” So, while you are paying taxes for the services you do need, he has not.

As you and I do clamor of our tax bills, this passage is one that will have you seeing red, "In contrast, News Corp.'s main subsidiaries in Australia, Britain and the United States, all relatively high-tax countries, recorded losses that year. Thus, by routing profits through low-tax jurisdictions and, simultaneously, accumulating expenses and recording losses in high-tax domains, News Corp. was able to greatly reduce its overall tax bill."

Well there you have it concerning the man behind the curtain, namely Rupert Murdoch the owner of Fox News and its stooges. Get angry at these tax-havens that have protected him in the past and I suppose right now in the present. While you have been working tirelessly, you have lived up to your end, while he and others just like him have not. Think of that should a police officer, a firefighter or a teacher lose their jobs. Think of that as our soldiers need body armor and their care when they come home.

It is unbelievable to hear Glenn Beck, Neil Cavuto, Sean Hannity and other dupes from Fox News speak of taxes when their boss, Rupert Murdoch has not paid his fair share of taxes. Go after these tax cheats who do use these tax-havens.