USuncut Boston takes a stand against tax dodging corporations

We have all heard the tales of constricting budgets, which threaten to keep salaries stagnant while other workers lose their jobs.  What if you then heard of a large untapped a stream of revenue that could lead to state budgets being flush with cash that was not only good for the US workers, who don’t have the option of sheltering their take home pay offshore, but pursuing this money  would also morally be the right thing to do. Then you heard of a movement, US uncut, that was fighting to tax these tax-dodging corporations. The movement is not directly related to labor movement but it shares a similar world view. USuncut sees a benefit in having a strong social fabric and promoting policies that they believe will be better for the collective whole.

USuncut believes that 2/3 of all US corporations fail to pay any federal income taxes, employing a variety of tax havens and loopholes to avoid their tax liabilities. These corporations appear to buy politicians rather than pay their taxes because they can do so at a fraction of the cost. In some cases some corporations even wind up receiving a tax refund rather than a bill.  This list includes some of the biggest names: Bank of America, GE, Verizon, FedEx, Hewlett-Packard, Carnival, Chevron, Ford, Apple, Citigroup, State Street Bank, and Exxon-Mobile. According to Usuncut, this practice accounts for up to one trillion dollars in lost revenue every decade.

The United States is not the only country that has problems with corporate tax dodging. Right now there are uncut movements in the UK, France, Switzerland, Sudan, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Australia. On March 26^th London alone saw its largest protest since the Iraq war sending between 250,000 and 500,000 people into the streets of the city, depending on which publication you want to believe. There are photos of the event available on the flickr website.

London Protest March 26th

USuncut has not produced numbers like this yet but it is a movement that is growing. By February 26^th according to The Guardian newspaper there were chapters in twenty different states.  There are currently uncut chapters in every New England state and in states across the United States. The movement as a whole is a loosely coordinated and each area’s leaders are free to pursue targets of their choosing. It was on April 13^th that USuncut and the Yes Men teamed up to trick the AP and ABC into running a story that had supposedly originated from GE, in which the multi-national corporation apologized for the refund they received in 2010 and agreed to return it.  AP eventually apologized for not doing a better job at fact checking the story. Some people said their shoddy fact checking was in itself a symptom of corporate downsizing. There was no word of the real GE returning the money.

USuncut Boston, coordinated by three college age students, has adopted some of the same entertaining characteristics of the movement.  To this point USuncut Boston has focused on Bank of America, Apple Computers and the State Street Bank. To this point USuncut Boston has sponsored a teach-in where they took over a bank, a few weeks later they held a street performance and skits right in front of Bank of America, and they also took part in March 18^th’s Paul Revere’s ride in reverse from Lexington to Boston. The 18^th’s rally wound up at Senator Kerry’s office before filing across to the local Bank of America. They later protested inside and eventually outside of Apple’s primary Boston store, which is located in the Back Bay. They have linked, with like minded individuals, to protest State Street Bank's policy.

Chris Priest and Andrea Gordillo

The movement is led by Chris Priest, a recent college graduate, and Meg Lazar and Andrea Gordillo, who are both between their fourth and fifth year at Northeastern University. These activists have had to learn their trade on their own.  They come from diverse backgrounds and they are supported by a wide range of college friends and acquaintances that are both talented and committed. To this point Northeastern has obviously been well represented at USuncut actions but the movement has expanded to include Harvard University and Leslie University.  The cutting of the Pell grant program has been something that has really resonated with these college age students. On Monday April 17^th, I had a chance to talk to two of the activists.

According to Chris Priest, “The key is to have some kind of gimmick. You can go on the street with signs but it doesn’t get press attention. If it’s not something that is bold and creative and interesting then (the press will ignore you). Then you’ve reached only the people who happen to be walking by the street that day. The point is to penetrate the media locally and nationally as much as you can to drive the message home.”

Meg Lezar

Lazar agrees, “Our teach-in was pretty successful. It was informative and it was hilarious. It was just light hearted and funny. We’re still at the building momentum stage, and probably will be for about the next year. Once you get people a bunch of people involved, they tend to come back.  (Chris) is right. There is such a negative connotation surrounding people outside with picket signs. I think a lot of Americans are apathetic to political movements and I think people also almost look down on activists as whining citizens, or people complaining about their government, or socialists or whatever label they choose to ascribe upon us. But when they see these creative protests it completely changes their view, we’re no longer people sitting with signs but we’re doing something slightly different. We’re intriguing. (For upcoming actions) I think a full marching band would be great. Like a New Orleans (funeral march) band, not like the boring ones, but a full New Orleans style marching band with like The Saints Go Marching In. That would just make my life, honestly.”

USuncut teach-in

“The movement is called Usuncut because the point is to prevent services from being cut,” Priest reiterated. “Corporations have an enormous advantage over a normal person. Basically a corporation can spend 400 million in lawyers and if your accountant is good enough and it isn’t breaking the law then they can avoid 300 billion in taxes. But if I avoid a thousand dollars, I’m in jail next week.””

Lazar is someone who has empathy for those who work in human services. Her mother worked both as a teacher and as a social worker. The whole time she was growing up her family took in foster kids. She insists that she already seen the negative connotations that tax cuts can have on children’s ‘services.

Lazar added, “I think our actions and that of (organized labor) are directly linked honestly because they’re public servants and I’m fighting to stop the budget cuts. I’m just trying to save (their) jobs. I don’t want to see unemployment go up. Currently, the health care system and education, teachers, have been the only stable employment sector in the United States. So now with all these budget cuts, that’s going to stop soon and it stinks. I don’t want to see it happen. I don’t want to see firefighters out of work or policemen officers. I don’t want to see my city and my country become more dangerous and more stupid and more unhealthy because out government won’t ask these multi-billion dollar corporations to pay what they are suppose to be paying. By closing the loopholes we could save thousands of jobs and that is what I’m fighting for. I’m not a person to stand by when I see unjust things happening. I’m not a person to watch a building burn down because no one will turn the water on because we can’t afford it... Do I feel a bond with people from my county, yes I do.”

In truth, both unionized workers and non-unionized workers are fighting for these bright articulate young people too. It is all our jobs to preserve the world we inherited for them and our kids, and to keep an avenue open so that people can continue to lead lives of financial dignity rather watch this country slide into a realm of industrial feudalism. Those who would like to follow this group for future actions can do so on Facebook under Usuncut Boston.  They can also contract them directly at usuncutbos@gmail.com. This is a cause worthy of support and when like minded individuals link together they have a much greater influence.