Covid Journal, October 1, 2020
Why Tax Cheaters Should Be Denied Tax Privileges
Another day, another annoying story about tax cheats, coupled with the steaming pile of civic-psychopath down south, Donald Trump who paid NO TAXES 10 out of the last 15 years.
Refusal to pay taxes and hiring an army of accountants to help you get massive refunds at taxpayer expense should result in one thing: refusal of public services.
Example: if you drive on a road, your car will be tracked and you’ll have to pay for use of that public road.
Or if you’re the President of the United States, maybe you have to pay for the use of Air Force One. Or staying at the White House.
This kind of civic irresponsibility and hubris disgusts me. Why anyone should think they’re above contributing to and participating in a functional and civilized society boggles my mind.
And the Guardian is right when they ask rhetorically: is Trump a bad business person or a tax cheat. The answer, of course, is yes.
Meanwhile, Trump Profits from Presidency
OpenSecrets.org has launched a new profile on Trump, including payments to Trump and Trump-related properties and organizations that he or his related companies own around the world (and that continue to benefit from his Presidency).
Since 2008 (but noticeably in the past 4 years), Trump has received more than $US 22 million as a result of taxpayer-funded boondoggles, retreats and golf parties, I mean, ‘official meetings’.
Here’s a summary of those payments:
- Total payments to Trump properties: $22,842,988
- From Trump-related committees: $17,892,343
- From the Republican party: $2,802,086
- From Republican candidates, elected officials and leadership PACs: $1,297,927
- From Democrats: $38,847
All this from a guy that doesn’t pay any taxes.
Americans (including the Democrats!) should hang their heads in shame knowing that they’ve elected and continue to support a corporate kleptocracy.
For more information, OpenSecrets.org has also posted revenue figures from various Trump organizations and a full list of Trump organizations around the world. The whole this is a bit of a time-suck, but it reveals many questions revolving around using business to influence the political fate of the United States.
Alberta’s Tar Sands Owe Canadians
Taxpayers are on the hook for hundreds of billions in cleanup costs, health issues, reclamation and repair to tailings ponds:
Bitumen mining is not the only source of unfunded taxpayer risk accumulated under decades of friendly provincial oversight. The leaked AER presentation suggested an additional $100 billion in unsecured cleanup costs from conventional oil and gas plus another $30 billion from pipelines. Together with tailing ponds, this adds up to an eye-watering figure of $260 billion. At the current leisurely pace of reclamation, it could take 126 years to plug an estimated 180,000 abandoned wells left behind by a previously profitable industry.
The next time somone like Jason Kenney or Erin the Tool jump up and down shouting about how the ‘Oil Patch’ continues to pave the way to public programs in Canada, be sure to remind them of these findings.