• bostonbananarama@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    Are other people paying taxes described as “ripping” away their ownership in “x”? What a bizarre framing. Also, Bezos owns less than 10% of Amazon, so he’s already given away ownership of the company. He has assets, and they should be taxed

    How does Amazon exist? How do they continue to operate? They run on the Internet created by the US government, they deliver packages by flying through US airspace, and driving on roads paved by several levels of government. Their factories don’t burn down because of municipal fire departments, and aren’t burglarized because of municipal police departments. Why shouldn’t they pay for those things, which they make much more use of than you or I?

    • Chriskmee@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Others aren’t using taxes on wealth though. Should the middle class be taxed on the amount in their retirement funds also? Or the amount in their bank accounts?

      10% of Amazon is still a lot, it’s still a lot of power.

      You think Amazon doesn’t pay for any of that? They pay for their use of such things like we all do. They do get some discounts thanks to scale, but they are paying way more than you or me.

      • bostonbananarama@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        The problem is that they are all employing tax avoidance schemes. Corporations like Amazon will spin off their IP to a separate off-shore corporation. Then they’ll pay that corporation for the use of their IP. That reduces Amazon’s profit to near zero, meaning they’re not paying taxes. The off shore corporation doesn’t pay taxes either.

        People like Bezos won’t take salaries, because they’re taxed. Instead they’ll take stock. Then they’ll take loans against that stock, so they don’t pay taxes. They just roll that loan into another loan and continue to live off of it, never paying taxes because they have no “income”.

        So yes, their wealth should be taxed. Otherwise the richest among us pay next to nothing and yet benefit the most from what our taxes buy. If we weren’t adequately capturing taxes from the middle class, then sure, but that’s not the case.

        • Chriskmee@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Amazon does invest most of their profits back into the business, that is why they were operating with basically no profit. They still paid plenty of taxes though, like payroll taxes, that aren’t based on profit.

          Then apply income tax or something on loans against stock over a certain amount, but I’m guessing that isn’t enough for you? I’m guessing like everyone else here the only solution is to tax them so much they aren’t a billionaire anymore, forcefully taking their company away from them in the process.

          • bostonbananarama@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            I know, it’s awful that people want rich people and rich corporations to pay their fair share of the tax burden. If they can’t pay their fair share and keep ungodly amounts of wealth, while people are homeless and children are starving, while shit, I guess they just shouldn’t have to pay taxes then. What if they had to sell some stock…ohh, the humanity! Will the horrors never cease! You sound like an absolute clown.

            • Chriskmee@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              What is so bad about investing money back into yourself, it’s exactly what non profits are built around doing.

              What is their fair share? Your rant to take away all their profits even if they make none? Stop job growth in the company by not allowing them to invest in new products or ideas?

              Why should owners be forced to sell their business just because it’s successful? Why should we punish success? Stock isn’t just some made up currency, it’s literally proof of ownership in a company, it’s voting power, it’s not someone we should be forcing owners to give up.

            • Chriskmee@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              I’m fine with stopping new tax exemptions, but the ones we already gave were just have to live with. It’s not right to ask for it all back.

              Yes, it is reinvestment, new ideas aren’t free, they cost startup money, it costs money to develop new products and ideas, it’s literally reinvestment of profits back into the company.