MayDay 2011: Canada UnCut
The YesLab in the US released a fake statement from GE claiming that GE will commit to donating their entire tax refund to offset job loss in the US. Several media organizations actually fell for the stunt.
This was the Yes Lab’s latest foray into the world of shock journalism, something that the people in mainstream media will need to take seriously.
It was also part of a promotion of something much more important: US Uncut, a project that is gaining steam in the US to protest the tax avoidance of most major US companies. US Uncut is something that actually grew from UK Uncut.
I found myself wondering if Canada has an equivalent and we do: Canada Uncut. They lay out some important facts:
- Canada will have lost $60 Billion in tax revenue between 2007 and 2013 from corporate tax cuts enacted since 2007
- Canada will have lost a total of $220 Billion in total tax revenue from tax policies enacted since 2007
- By 2007, the top 1% of the wealthiest Canadian families had less of a total tax burden than the poorest 10% of families
- According to Statistics Canada, in 2004, foreign-controlled corporations accounted for 30% of the total operating revenues, while only accounting for 1% of the total corporations within Canada. Foreign-owned corporations are most of Canada’s largest employers and the largest companies by value
- New cuts to corporate tax breaks will actually cost Canadians a whopping $13.7 Billion every year
- The (Stephen Harper) government admits that corporate tax cuts are the least effective form of government ‘spending’ to spur economic growth
- Cuts do NOT create jobs: There are 640,000 more unemployed working-age Canadians now than in February 2008
These are important messages that Stephen Harper is lying about and that Canadians need to be made better aware of.
I want a Canada Uncut sign for my lawn.