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Tea Party Protests Should Target Foreign Carmaker For Spending Abatement Money
Mike Biras
On April 15th, the last day Americans pay their Federal income taxes drew thousands of "Tea Party" protestors out across the nation delivering tea bags to Federal buildings, including the White House, protesting excess Federal government spending. Tired of excessive taxes Americans served notice to government bureaucrats that enough was enough!!
In state after state, citizens gathered some in groups of 20,000 and others in groups of 1,000 or less to protest the excessive spending, but unfortunately, no one gathered in protesting the excessive spending of our tax money by foreign carmakers.
American citizens believe in fair taxation and would be very upset to realize how foreign carmakers are not paying their fair share of taxes to America, particularly to the school children.
In sixteen states of the nation there are foreign carmakers being subsidized by the hard earned tax money of Americans with big tax abatements which allows the foreign company to profit more from their cars at the expense of the American carmakers. The Japanese companies are subsidized both by Japan and by the tax money of Americans. The Japanese companies received weakened yen checks to help make the[ company profitable when Japan could control the yen. Unfortunately that weakened yen cost Americans jobs.
What is so sad about the recent "Tea Party" tax protestors is that most Americans pay more in taxes than they do on food. The protestors were so upset over high taxes that in one community 1,000 tax protestors were able to bring traffic to a half and create a 21 mile back up of cars.
Nisssan is the perfect example of the special privilege of exemption of not paying taxes by a foreign carmaker instead receiving excessive abatements at the expense of the American taxpayer which helps the foreign automaker make cheaper cars. This too, should have been protested. Why is this important?
American tax abatements given by the taxpayers of Mississippi to Nissan allows the company to function in its Canton plant for thirty years and pay no taxes. In addition, Nissan's 1300 suppliers are also covered under this provision in the contract with Mississippi.
The company also receives a rebate of 4 percent of the taxes paid by its employees working in the Canton factory. This is just a small part of the tax exemptions. Also included in the Nissan tax package is paying one third the ad valorem taxes due the schools of Mississippi so cheating the school children out of the full funds by law to run their schools.
Americans have worked hard to build a good community for their fellow citizens and for the children of the community. Nissan has arrived in the U.S. asking for privileges not given to Americans who pay their full share of taxes for the privilege of living in America.
Not so with Nissan which has broken the laws of the United States by retitling cars and putting them back into commerce as new. The company committed serious securities fraud by putting the cars in commerce in 16 states. Despite breaking the law, the Federal government has given Nissan $1.5 Bn of TALF funds by the Federal Reserve and they are also have applied for funds from the Department of Energy for Clean Fuel. In addition, Nissan reserved 75% of the federal HUD funds for Mississippi for Nissan's used for two years.
Americans protesting the high taxes of the government and the excessive power would and should protest the treatment of Nissan by using the American taxpayers’ money and now paying their fair share to the children and the state in taxes. The abatements to Nissan are excessive and abusive. They should be included in the next protest of Americans demanding accountability from the government by holding a modern day Boston Tea Party.