Gawd Bless Tax Havens.

Superlative

Senior Member
Mar 13, 2007
1,382
109
48
Under Cheney's tenure,(95-00) the number of Halliburton subsidiaries in offshore tax havens increased from 9 to 44. Meanwhile, Halliburton went from paying $302 million in company taxes in 1998 to getting an $85 million tax refund in 1999.


Many large multinational corporations pay no taxes at all. According to the GAO more than 60% of U.S. controlled corporations with at least $250 million in assets (representing 93 percent of all corporate assets reported to the IRS) reported no federal tax liability each year between 1996 and 2000, while the economy boomed and corporate profits soared. 71% of foreign-based firms operating in the U.S. during that same period paid no U.S. income taxes.

According to Citizens for Tax Justice, 82 of 275 top U.S. corporations paid zero taxes between 2001 and 2003, although they earned $102 billion in pre-tax profits.

46 companies with a combined profit of $42.6 billion paid no federal income taxes in 2003 alone. Instead they received rebates totaling $5.4 billion.


http://www.corporatepolicy.org/topics/Taxhavens.htm

WASHINGTON , citing $100 billion in revenue drained from the U.S. Treasury at the expense of honest, hardworking American families who pay their fair share, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., introduced comprehensive legislation to stop offshore tax haven and tax shelter abuses.
http://www.senate.gov/~levin/newsroom/release.cfm?id=269479

A large but low-profile Seattle-based investment firm, Quellos Group, used a bewildering series of fake securities deals between offshore shell companies to help rich clients shelter more than $2 billion in capital gains from taxes, a Senate report released Tuesday alleges.

Senate investigators said the Quellos-created shelters ultimately cost the U.S. Treasury $300 million in tax payments.

The Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations concluded, after a yearlong inquiry, that offshore tax havens allow the wealthy to stash trillions of dollars, mostly beyond the reach of tax, regulatory and law-enforcement authorities, and avoid paying $40 billion to $70 billion in taxes each year.

Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, the senior Democrat on the subcommittee, said at a hearing yesterday that the report, which outlines the Quellos shelters and several others, "blows the lid off tax-haven abuses that make use of sham trusts, shell corporations and fake economic transactions to help people dodge taxes."

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=13985

For more than four years, Levin and Coleman, the Chairman and senior Republican of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, have led an in-depth Subcommittee investigation into offshore tax havens, abusive tax shelters, and the professionals who design, market, and implement these tax dodges. Experts have estimated that the total loss to the Treasury from offshore tax evasion alone approaches $100 billion per year, including $40 to $70 billion from individuals and another $30 billion from corporations engaging in offshore tax evasion. Abusive tax shelters add tens of billions of dollars more.

http://www.senate.gov/~levin/newsroom/release.cfm?id=269479


The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has scheduled a hearing for August 1, 2006, entitled Offshore Abuses: The Enablers, The Tools & Offshore Secrecy. The Subcommittee has held a number of hearings addressing the issue of tax havens and offshore abuses which are undermining the integrity of the federal tax system, diverting tens of billions of dollars each year from the U.S. Treasury, and undermining U.S. law enforcement.

http://www.senate.gov/~govt-aff/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=385
 
Gee, who was President each year between 1996 and 2000?

I don't think Cheney was.
 
Gee, who was President each year between 1996 and 2000?

I don't think Cheney was.



oooooh, oooooh, pick me! pick me! Was it Clinton?
It was Clinton!, being the Liberal Democrat he is, he told all the major Corporations to totally stop paying taxes, cause they are a waste of time and they suck really bad, and everyone knows they only exist for poor people to pay.
 
Excuse me - but you are blaming Cheney for companies taking advantage of perfectly legal tax strategies that were put in place prior to Cheney being VP.

In the real world, shareholders can hold companies liable for actions which damage the value of their shares - and not taking advantage of Perfectly Legal tax minimization would be management malfeasance.
 
Excuse me - but you are blaming Cheney for companies taking advantage of perfectly legal tax strategies that were put in place prior to Cheney being VP.

In the real world, shareholders can hold companies liable for actions which damage the value of their shares - and not taking advantage of Perfectly Legal tax minimization would be management malfeasance.

Cheney was just one example of the many corporations, obviously he didnt have anything to do with all of them, or did you miss the referral to the Quellos Group, and the other 82 corporations that paid zero taxes between 2001 and 2003.

46 companies with a combined profit of $42.6 billion paid no federal income taxes in 2003 alone.

What does that have to do with Clinton or Cheney?
 
Excuse me, but what is your point? If the laws are written in ways which allow corporations to take advantages of structures which minimize their taxes LEGALLY, then shouldn't your beef be with CONGRESS which passed the laws allowing such tax havens?

Do you personally forgo tax deductions which you are allowed? What you are insinuating for corporations is the equivalent of a homeowner not taking a deduction for mortgage interest because some other people are renters.
 
Cheney was just one example of the many corporations, obviously he didnt have anything to do with all of them, or did you miss the referral to the Quellos Group, and the other 82 corporations that paid zero taxes between 2001 and 2003.

46 companies with a combined profit of $42.6 billion paid no federal income taxes in 2003 alone.

What does that have to do with Clinton or Cheney?

If Dems would stop attacking them, threatening them, smearing them, and wanting to regulate and tax them to death - perhaps they would stay in the US
 
My opinion is: End corporate welfare, end off-shore accounts, period. And.... if you're an american owned business, or a company doing business in america, you have to pay the american tax rate, as determined by congress and the president.

I absolutely hate corporate welfare, and off shore accounts, it is the most immoral thing, yuck yuck
 
My opinion is: End corporate welfare, end off-shore accounts, period. And.... if you're an american owned business, or a company doing business in america, you have to pay the american tax rate, as determined by congress and the president.

I absolutely hate corporate welfare, and off shore accounts, it is the most immoral thing, yuck yuck

Corporations and companies do NOT pay taxes

Their customers pay the taxes - it is reflected in their prices

If libs raise taxes on corporations - they are raising taxes on us

Of course that is nothing new
 
I hate beauracracy, but we need some regulation. The U.S. government, correct me if im wrong gives tax breaks to u.s. corporations, who return the favor, by setting up off shore accounts to avoid taxes. Oh, and I dont want businesses taxed to death, small businesses make up 99% of all businesses, so I dont want them paying un-fair tax rates, for a government that spends money, faster then a crack whore, on a friday night in l.a.

Is there no common sense in government?, Shouldnt there be?.

Why cant there be real accountability that has nothing to do with gotcha politics, but has to do with holding every single politician accountable for his or her actions, regardless of political party. Why is our media so obsessed with a dead junkie like ann nicole, when real news is out there?
 
I hate beauracracy, but we need some regulation. The U.S. government, correct me if im wrong gives tax breaks to u.s. corporations, who return the favor, by setting up off shore accounts to avoid taxes. Oh, and I dont want businesses taxed to death, small businesses make up 99% of all businesses, so I dont want them paying un-fair tax rates, for a government that spends money, faster then a crack whore, on a friday night in l.a.

Is there no common sense in government?, Shouldnt there be?.

Why cant there be real accountability that has nothing to do with gotcha politics, but has to do with holding every single politician accountable for his or her actions, regardless of political party. Why is our media so obsessed with a dead junkie like ann nicole, when real news is out there?


Perhaps if business was not under attack they would not move the companies out of the US

With Dems in power, the eviroment is very hostile to business
 
Corporations and companies do NOT pay taxes

Their customers pay the taxes - it is reflected in their prices

If libs raise taxes on corporations - they are raising taxes on us

Of course that is nothing new

Perhaps if business was not under attack they would not move the companies out of the US

With Dems in power, the eviroment is very hostile to business

I am not surprised that you are siding with corporations.

Because you are completely bing bong bananas and everyone knows it.



"82 of 275 top U.S. corporations paid zero taxes between 2001 and 2003, although they earned $102 billion in pre-tax profits."

"$100 billion in revenue drained from the U.S. Treasury at the expense of honest, hardworking American families."


This war has cost, to this day, roughly $417, 046, 876, 649. and counting, and counting, and counting....

Which we all know you are totally for,

Dont you think its only fair that Corporations that are supposed, to 'by law' pay taxes, should?

Dont you think that the estimated 100 billion a year lost would go a long way in paying for the war?

I dont know about you, but if the US is fighting for the freedom and well being of America and the American way, isnt it in the best interest of US corporations to pay their taxes in supporst of that?

And by not paying taxes BY YOUR STANDARDS doesnt that make all of these corporations "Anti War" and "Terrorist" because they are obviously not supporting the US government the way the rest of Americans are?

hhhhhmmmmmm?
 
My opinion is: End corporate welfare, end off-shore accounts, period. And.... if you're an american owned business, or a company doing business in america, you have to pay the american tax rate, as determined by congress and the president.

I absolutely hate corporate welfare, and off shore accounts, it is the most immoral thing, yuck yuck


Do you think it is corporate welfare for Corporations to wish to avoid the double taxation of foreign-based profits? If they earn income in another country and pay taxes there - why should the U.S. tack on additional taxes when the income wasn't earned here?
 
I am not surprised that you are siding with corporations.

Because you are completely bing bong bananas and everyone knows it.



"82 of 275 top U.S. corporations paid zero taxes between 2001 and 2003, although they earned $102 billion in pre-tax profits."

"$100 billion in revenue drained from the U.S. Treasury at the expense of honest, hardworking American families."


This war has cost, to this day, roughly $417, 046, 876, 649. and counting, and counting, and counting....

Which we all know you are totally for,

Dont you think its only fair that Corporations that are supposed, to 'by law' pay taxes, should?

Dont you think that the estimated 100 billion a year lost would go a long way in paying for the war?

I dont know about you, but if the US is fighting for the freedom and well being of America and the American way, isnt it in the best interest of US corporations to pay their taxes in supporst of that?

And by not paying taxes BY YOUR STANDARDS doesnt that make all of these corporations "Anti War" and "Terrorist" because they are obviously not supporting the US government the way the rest of Americans are?

hhhhhmmmmmm?

When you raise taxes on corporations, you raise taxes on people. Corporations do not pay taxes the customers of the corportation pay the taxes

The cost of taxes has been figured into the price of their goods/services
 
When you raise taxes on corporations, you raise taxes on people. Corporations do not pay taxes the customers of the corportation pay the taxes
The cost of taxes has been figured into the price of their goods/services

For one, No one is talking about raising taxes,

were talking about Corporations NOT paying their taxes,

Im am a customer of many huge corporations, I dont have any Tax havens,

http://www.quellos.com/home.aspx are an investment firm

what is wrong with you?

Lets take Insurance or credit card companies or investment firms, they charge taxes on their "Service" and they dont necessarily pay it to the government, because they have OFFSHORE TAX HAVENS.

"The rise of corporate tax haven abuses has contributed significantly to the precipitous decline of corporate taxes raised by the U.S. government in recent years particularly when it comes to U.S. multinationals who are able to shift their pretax income offshore. Martin Sullivan, editor of Tax Notes, reports that U.S. Corporations shifted $75 billion of their taxable profits into tax havens in 2003, depriving the IRS of between $10 billion and $20 billion in expected tax revenues. Sullivan says “the figures provide just one more indication that the U.S. system of taxing international income is nearing a breakdown.” Sullivan, a former Treasury Department economist, based his study on Commerce Department data."

"One of the simplest ways some corporations have reduced their taxes is by relocating their headquarters offshore on paper (a relatively simple transaction known as “corporate inversions”). This scam is expected to cost the U.S. $5 billion over the next decade, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. By paying just $30,000 to establish a simple postal drop, for instance, Ingersoll-Rand expects to save $40 million per year by declaring itself headquartered in Bermuda. Dozens of companies have undergone corporate inversions to reduce their taxes while continuing to enjoy U.S. protections.

Transfer pricing. Considered a form of fake billing, transfer pricing is an accounting shell game used by companies to structure internal transactions so that profits are reported in offshore jurisdictions that have lower corporate tax rates. A study conducted by two tax experts from the University of Florida estimates that the U.S. lost $53 billion in corporate taxes in 2001 from this type of abnormal trade pricing. Most of this money ends up in offshore accounts. Profits of the U.S. Multinationals’ subsidiaries in no-tax Bermuda, for example, rose from $8.5 billion to $25.2 billion. As former Treasury International Tax Counsel Stephen E. Shay (now with Ropes & Gray in Boston) put it, “the reality is that the IRS is unable to meaningfully audit transfer prices.”

Income Stripping. In this scheme, money is "lent" by the offshore subsidiary to the U.S. parent company or another U.S. subsidiary and paid back to the offshore company at higher interest rates. That interest payment is then deducted from the U.S. company's federal taxes. One example of this occurred at Tyco, which set up a Luxembourg-based subsidiary to finance most of the company's debt. The Luxembourg subsidiary made loans to Tyco units in the U.S. and elsewhere, which then deducted the interest payments from their taxable income in the U.S.


Parking Intellectual Property ("Intangibles") Offshore. Another way corporations reduce their taxes is by relocating intellectual property offshore and charging the U.S. headquarters or other divisions of the company royalty payments. This scheme is common among corporate sectors like the pharmaceutical industry and computers and software, who have established dozens of subsidiaries in Bermuda in recent years. As two tax practitioners recently (2/15/05) explained in Tax Notes, “U.S. income tax may be eliminated entirely if the intangible property is located in a foreign jurisdiction that has concluded with the United States an income tax treaty that eliminates withholding tax on source-country royalty payments.” (In a similar manner, companies reduce their state-level taxes by parking their trademarks and other intellectual property in states like Delaware that do not tax such property.) The offshore subsidiary company charges a licensing fee for the use of trademarks, patents, etc. – which allows the corporation to lower their taxes in the jurisdiction with higher rates. The practice of holding intellectual property offshore began to grow significantly in the early 1990s and is now widespread.

http://www.corporatepolicy.org/topics/Taxhavens.htm

How can you be defending corporations that dont pay taxes?
 
That is like saying Dems REALLY did not INCREASE taxes - they voted to let the cuts expire

ANY increase in the cost of doing busines will be passed on the the customer
 

You said

No one is talking about raising taxes,

were talking about Corporations NOT paying their taxes,

Im am a customer of many huge corporations, I dont have any Tax havens



I am saying, using that logic,

That is like saying Dems REALLY did not INCREASE taxes - they voted to let the cuts expire

ANY increase in the cost of doing busines will be passed on the the customer


Corproations never pay taxes and they never will. Their customers pay them
 
You said

No one is talking about raising taxes,

were talking about Corporations NOT paying their taxes,

Im am a customer of many huge corporations, I dont have any Tax havens

Did you read past this?


Corproations never pay taxes and they never will. Their customers pay them

Did you read how corporations put money in TaxHavens?

Can you read?

How do corporations not pay taxes?

If a corporation makes a profit, they pay tax on that profit, just like YOU pay taxes off of your paycheck.
 
Did you read past this?




Did you read how corporations put money in TaxHavens?

Can you read?

How do corporations not pay taxes?

If a corporation makes a profit, they pay tax on that profit, just like YOU pay taxes off of your paycheck.

So if corporations are not "paying" taxing and you then you change the lsaw so they are - you are raising taxres on people who buy from the corporation

All costs of doing business are priced into the price of their goods and services including taxes on their profit
 

Forum List

Back
Top