
GE CEO: Bernie Sanders says we’re ‘destroying the moral fabric’ of America - haneefmubarak
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ge-ceo-bernie-sanders-says-were-destroying-the-moral-fabric-of-america-hes-wrong/2016/04/06/8499bc8c-fc23-11e5-80e4-c381214de1a3_story.html?postshare=9841460034227896&tid=ss_tw
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mtgx
> _General Electric, the nation’s largest corporation, had a very good year in
> 2010. The company reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1
> billion of the total came from its operations in the United States. Its
> American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2
> billion._

[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.htm...](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html)

> _General Electric Routinely Pays Little or No State Income Taxes_

[http://ctj.org/ctjreports/2015/06/general_electric_routinely...](http://ctj.org/ctjreports/2015/06/general_electric_routinely_pays_little_or_no_state_income_taxes.php)

> _As a group, the 15 companies paid no federal income tax on $23 billion in
> profits in 2014, and they paid almost no federal income tax on $107 billion
> in profits over the past five years._

[http://ctj.org/ctjreports/2015/04/fifteen_of_many_reasons_wh...](http://ctj.org/ctjreports/2015/04/fifteen_of_many_reasons_why_we_need_corporate_tax_reform.php)

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johng
I'd be curious to see a study on the following: "Priceline relied heavily on a
single tax break — writing off the value of executive stock options for tax
purposes — to zero out its tax liability not just in 2014 but in 2013, 2012
and 2011 as well. In addition, the company admits that this tax break could
offset all taxes on up to $1.2 billion in profits going forward. Mattel also
reports enjoying $140 million in stock option tax breaks over the past five
years. Former U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) has estimated that this tax break
will costs $23 billion over the next decade.[iii]"

Wouldn't the executives receiving these stock options be paying taxes on them?
The company is just passing along the funds from the company to the executive
as compensation, but the individual is still going to pay taxes on them.
Otherwise, they would be double taxed regardless?

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pigpaws
With all due respect, I don't see _ANYONE_ paying more taxes than they 'have
to'... feel free to blame the bought & paid-for politicians. Laws re: taxation
effectively nullify any "moral" arguments - aside from the fact that "morals"
are subjective...

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otoolep
The HN title is missing a key phrase that is actually present on
washingtonpost.com site.

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haneefmubarak
It was a few letters over the limit and I wasn't sure whether to truncate the
beginning ie the end :(

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MollyR
What's next, Is he going to ask Apple to bring manufacturing jobs back to the
US ?

