How Tax Cheats Are Using Your Money To Fund Republicans

[Hissyspit]

http://www.alternet.org/stories/50645

How Tax Cheats Are Using Your Money to Fund Republicans

By Lucy Komisar, AlterNet. Posted April 17, 2007.

When it comes to tax cheats, the government has been vocal about catching the little guys but hasn't mentioned the big-time frauds, like Swift Boat financier Sam Wyly, who happens to be a top-tier Republican contributor.

This year was no exception. At a press conference on April 3, IRS Commissioner Mark Everson announced civil injunction suits against five corporations in Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago and Raleigh that are franchises of Jackson-Hewitt, the nation's second-largest tax preparation firm, which the IRS accused of routinely faking returns for some of its 100,000 clients.

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While the story made national headlines, the government targeted an operation that catered to little guys, the poor and lower middle class. However, they failed to mention some big-time tax cheats whose fraud was much greater, but who happen to be top-tier Republican contributors. What the press conference should have announced was: "Swift Boat" financier Sam Wyly cheated the U.S. of at least $300 million in taxes." And, "The money that paid for the "Swift Boat" campaign was your money!"

How does someone cheat the government out of that much money and -- until now -- get away with it?

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The Bush Administration from its first year, when Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill torpedoed an OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) attempt to crack down on tax havens, has shown itself a friend of the shadowy system.

Now, Congress has a chance to act against the offshore tax-cheating Wylys of America. Carl Levin and Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican who is savvy about the issue because he was a prosecutor, along with Barak Obama, have sponsored The Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act (S-681). It would:

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[no_hypocrisy]

1. Easy to explain:

If you're rich and pay taxes, EVERYONE enjoys the benefit of your contribution via national programs.

If you pay the same amount of money to republicans, they are likely to get elected, and the republicans provide quid pro quo/reciprocity to the contributors. It's like paying for something and it's more of a purchase than a donation.

Selfishness is the motivation for the choice of how they spend their money.

[Demeter]

2. a good hard k&r

This is what I've been screaming since Enron. That was 2001, baby!

[tanyev]

3. k & r again.

[Hissyspit]

4. .