National

Occupy Pittsburgh Demands Corporations Pay Their ‘Fare’ Share


PITTSBURGH—(ENEWSPF)—March 6, 2012.  Occupy Pittsburgh supporters and participants will gather in front of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center (at the corner of Penn Ave. and 10th St.) to demand that corporations in Pennsylvania pay their fair share of taxes.   

Each year Pennsylvania loses $500 million to corporations like Exxon-Mobil that utilize tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share to the Commonwealth  while their trucks use our roads and their employees commute to work via public transit.  Recently we lost $10 million in transfer tax revenue when the out of state buyers of the US Steel Building exploited a tax loophole to avoid making the payment.   

In addition, corporate lobbyists wrote the law that allowed our region’s largest employer, UPMC (whose name now illuminates the top of the Steel Tower) to avoid paying taxes on its $406 million in profits. Meanwhile, with not-for-profit monopolies like UPMC dominating the Pittsburgh region, healthcare costs are out of control.   The average family spends $15,073 annually for coverage, and those costs increase by 9% a year. 

When it comes to transit cuts and increased rider fares, we have been trained to blame workers and public sector unions.  In truth, fiscal dilemmas like underfunded pension plans are a direct result of our government’s failure to regulate banks and corporations on Wall Street.  Now, they’re leaving the 99% to bear even more of the costs of this crisis by eliminating jobs, cutting service and raising transit fares.

Where:           Meet on the corner of Penn Ave. and 10th Street in front of the Convention Center

When:             11:15 a.m., Wednesday, March 7th

Who:               Occupy Pittsburgh and supporters (including 1,500 members of the United Steelworkers)

What:             A rally and march to the Steel Tower, where workers will demand UPMC to start paying their fair share of taxes in order to fund public services like transit. 

Source:  www.OccupyPittsburgh.org


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