Tax time idea

CACTUSA 15 APR

April 9, 2009 Associated Press: THE INFLUENCE GAME: Firms reap seeds of lobbying By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Big companies that spent hundreds of millions lobbying successfully for a tax break enacted in 2004 got a 22,000-percent return on that investment. All told, U.S. companies saved about $100 billion in taxes. 93 firms that spent $282.7 million lobbying on that ultimately saved a total of $62.5 billion through the tax change.
Companies and interest groups spent $3.42 billion lobbying Congress and the federal government in 2008, the last year for which such figures are available, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That's a 14 percent jump from the previous year. See…. (http://www.opensecrets.org)

What does this mean? It means that if you have a lot of money, you can give money to Congress and Government Officials and they will help you avoid taxes. So, who pays taxes? Do you pay taxes? Why do you pay taxes?

BW (Business Week) 4/13/09: “Toxic taxes” Reports that tax preparation companies, often help people file false tax returns. For an “extra” fee, the tax preparers file false returns. They advise that the chances of “getting caught” is very small and comment that politicians and government officials don’t pay taxes on bribes, kickbacks, campaign donations, perks, etc. A lot of “Tax Preparers” and “tax advisors” are ex-IRS people.

What does this mean? You can pay professionals to help you avoid paying taxes. Do you pay taxes?

There are companies that (They openly advertize on radio, TV, the internet, etc.) will help you to avoid paying taxes, set up “offshore” and “protected” accounts.

For Immediate Release Contact: Leslie K. Paige 202-467-5334
April 14, 2009
Earmarks Rise to $19.6 Billion in CAGW’s 2009 Pig Book

(Washington, D.C.) - Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the 2009 Congressional Pig Book, the latest installment in the group’s 19-year exposé of pork-barrel spending. The Pig Book revealed 10,160 earmarks worth $19.6 billion.
“Everyone in Washington has promised a new era of transparency and restraint in earmarks, from President Obama to the leaders of both parties in Congress,” said CAGW President Tom Schatz. “Sadly, the hard numbers from the 2009 appropriations bills tell a different story. The current Democratic congressional majority is following the same trajectory as their Republican predecessors. They came into power promising to cut earmarks, and made a big show of it during their first two years. However, as the 2009 Pig Book amply illustrates, pork-barrel spending is growing fast.”
While the number of specific projects declined by 12.5 percent, from 11,610 in fiscal year 2008 to 10,160 in fiscal year 2009, the total tax dollars spent to fund them increased by 14 percent, from $17.2 billion to $19.6 billion.
Much has been made of reforms that require members of Congress to identify earmarks they request and the intended recipients of earmarked funds, but CAGW uncovered 221 earmarks worth $7.8 billion that were funded in circumvention of Congress’s own transparency rules. These stealth earmarks were particularly prevalent in the 2009 Defense Appropriations Act, which included 142 anonymous earmarks worth $6.4 billion, a staggering 57 percent of the earmarked tax dollars.

The Pig Book Summary profiles the most egregious examples, breaks down pork per capita by state, and presents the annual "Oinker" Awards. All 10,160 projects are listed in a searchable database on CAGW’s website www.cagw.org. Examples of pork in the 2009 Pig Book include:
• $3.8 million for the Old Tiger Stadium Conservancy in Detroit;
• $1.9 million for the Pleasure Beach water taxi service in Connecticut;
• $1.8 million for swine odor and manure management research in Ames, Iowa;
• $380,000 for a recreation and fairgrounds area in Kotzebue, Alaska;
• $143,000 for the Greater New Haven Labor History Association in Connecticut;
• $95,000 for the Canton Symphony Orchestra Association in Ohio; and
• $71,000 for Dance Theater Etcetera in Brooklyn for its Tolerance through Arts initiative.
(Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.)
The standard “expense costs” for “earmarks” is between 20-40%. The expense costs include lobbying, campaign contributions, kickbacks, jobs for relatives, cash in “offshore” accounts, etc.
The $19.2 billion earmarks that Congress just passed and signed into law means the each member of Congress and their staff gets between $5-9 million.
Why do you pay taxes?
Some of our coalition members believe that if we all stop paying taxes, it will force Congress and Obama to stop stealing and giving away our money.

We have plans. Send us your ideas. actnow98@aol.com