CWA Demands Verizon and the Rest of Corporate America Pay Their Taxes

On what was "Tax Day" for ordinary Americans, CWA members in New York and New Jersey held rallies that targeted Verizon, Goldman Sachs, GE and other corporations that pay little or no federal income taxes.

Verizon, for example, earned $26.2 billion in pre-tax income in 2009-2010, paid no federal income taxes, and received a $1.3 billion refund. GE reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion in 2010, more than a third of that from its operations in the United States. Not only did GE pay no federal taxes, it claimed a $3.2 billion tax benefit.

Members of at least 20 CWA locals took part in 10 rallies around the region Monday. Participants handed out flyers blasting the corporate tax-dodgers and listing contact information for members of Congress.

"Now Congress wants to give a $50 billion tax bailout to big oil companies and cut tax rates for all corporations — and at the same time take away food aid to hungry pregnant women and children," the flyer states. "This is immoral and un-American. Slash education, destroy Medicare, eliminate workers' rights, while big corporations and the wealthy rake it in and continue to get tax break after tax break?"

[Reprinted from CWA Local 1103, http://www.cwa1103.org]