Shine the Light on Corporate Tax Avoidance

Chuck Sheketoff

Nearly 400 corporations — including four dozen with over $1 million in Oregon profits — paid no 2012 state income taxes.

We know the name of one company that got away with paying nothing: Con-way Inc. We know this because the trucking company went to court to create an end run around Oregon’s corporate minimum tax.

But we don’t know the identities of the other corporations gaming the system that paid nothing. That information is not public information. Yet.

If you think Oregonians ought to know, sign the petition asking the Oregon legislature to require corporations to disclose how much they pay in Oregon income taxes.

We know that corporations dodge taxes. They use a dizzying array of subsidies, loopholes and accounting tricks to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. They are so good at it, our corporate “minimum tax" is no longer the minimum for about 500 corporations doing business here.

Knowing which corporations use what accounting tricks and loopholes to get out of paying their fair share will help create the political climate for corporate tax reform.

Sign the petition asking lawmakers to shine a light on corporate tax gaming in Oregon by requiring public corporations and corporations with 250 or more employees to provide details on how they arrive at their tax bill.

Working families are paying more in income taxes to support our schools, seniors and health care than some large, profitable corporations. That’s wrong.

Oregon children sit in overcrowded classrooms and tuition at our colleges and universities continues to climb, while some corporations pay little or nothing to support vital public structures. That’s wrong.

Sign the petition asking Oregon lawmakers to enact corporate disclosure.

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Chuck Sheketoff is the executive director of the Oregon Center for Public Policy. You can sign up to receive email notification of OCPP materials at www.ocpp.org.

By Chuck Sheketoff May 07, 2015 Posted in BlueOregon Action.