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I think this is a terrible move. Shelters are NOT a solution to homelessness. This move will give Amazon false bragging rights to say, hey look, our operationa

I think this is a terrible move. Shelters are NOT a solution to homelessness. This move will give Amazon false bragging rights to say, hey look, our operational style, not paying taxes, and lobbying for a society that punishes the poor more than the rich aren't really that bad because we're helping the homeless. Even if Amazon is able to put every homeless person in the United States in a shelter (they certainly can afford it), that would not be a good thing. That is validating a bifurcated system where we become content with the living conditions of the poor while excusing those who create the system that creates those conditions in the first place (Amazon in this case)

ryanlol 7y ago
>not paying taxes How much taxes should Amazon be paying in your opinion?
- monoideism 7y ago
  Vastly, vastly more than zero, which is what they have paid the past few years.
  - sieabahlpark 7y ago
    If you actually looked up what they did instead is reinvest to grow the company you'd understand that the taxable income is where that "missing" money is. Stop parroting around uninformed talking points as if they're cut and dry truth. Do you want to punish companies for providing jobs to more people in the area instead?
  - sneak 7y ago
    Amazon pays absolutely mind-bogglingly immense amounts of payroll taxes. To claim that Amazon pays no tax is more than a little bit incorrect. The people they employ pay income taxes, as well, which come out of Amazon’s revenue ultimately. There are many reasons to hate them. Their complying with the tax laws as they are currently written is not one of them.
    - greendude29 7y ago
      > Amazon pays absolutely mind-bogglingly immense amounts of payroll taxes Payroll taxes and income tax have a different intent, and the money from them goes to different ends. Paying payroll taxes does not relinquish your duty towards paying your income taxes and has no relation to the above. > The people they employ pay income taxes, as well, which come out of Amazon’s revenue ultimately. It is mindboggling to hear that. "Amazon's revenue" is not generated via magic, but people's work. When someone works for Amazon and gets paid for it, Amazon is not doing them a favor and giving them a portion of their revenue, it is the money that solely belongs to the person who earned it. That person is paying the taxes from their revenue, not Amazon. The person in this case is taking a cut from their dues for the work they to support society and the infrastructure that industry (like Amazon) runs on. Amazon is absolutely skirting its responsibilities by not paying income taxes, and this should be considered deeply unethical by all.
      - sneak 7y ago
        I think you are confusing morals (subjective) and ethics (objective). Complying with the tax law, as written, is not itself an unethical act. People disagree on whether or not paying the minimum amount of tax required by law is moral or not. I believe that most people generally agree that the tax law’s current angle of not taxing companies without profits is a reasonable decision.
  - ryanlol 7y ago
    Besides what sneak pointed out, Amazon pays all sorts of sales taxes around the world.
  - monoideism 7y ago
    OK, I didn't think I had to point this out, but I meant they've paid zero corporate taxes.
    - ryanlol 7y ago
      Why are corporate taxes necessary at all? Why is it not enough to tax profits when they’re distributed?
atlasunshrugged 7y ago
Sure, it's not a permanent solution but should we really only focus on long term and structural solutions and not also on things that temporarily alleviate some problems? We can walk and chew gum at the same time here, we'll have to if we want to solve any serious problem. I don't think anyone would advocate that we all go home and say problem solved after this shelter goes up, and I doubt anyone will really forget that Amazon contributed to the issue in Seattle.
Aloha 7y ago
There are more than one kind of homeless, for some a reliable shelter accommodation is enough to give them stability to rejoin the workforce, which may enable them to afford housing.

ryanlol 7y ago

>not paying taxes How much taxes should Amazon be paying in your opinion?

monoideism 7y ago
Vastly, vastly more than zero, which is what they have paid the past few years.
- sieabahlpark 7y ago
  If you actually looked up what they did instead is reinvest to grow the company you'd understand that the taxable income is where that "missing" money is. Stop parroting around uninformed talking points as if they're cut and dry truth. Do you want to punish companies for providing jobs to more people in the area instead?
- sneak 7y ago
  Amazon pays absolutely mind-bogglingly immense amounts of payroll taxes. To claim that Amazon pays no tax is more than a little bit incorrect. The people they employ pay income taxes, as well, which come out of Amazon’s revenue ultimately. There are many reasons to hate them. Their complying with the tax laws as they are currently written is not one of them.
  - greendude29 7y ago
    > Amazon pays absolutely mind-bogglingly immense amounts of payroll taxes Payroll taxes and income tax have a different intent, and the money from them goes to different ends. Paying payroll taxes does not relinquish your duty towards paying your income taxes and has no relation to the above. > The people they employ pay income taxes, as well, which come out of Amazon’s revenue ultimately. It is mindboggling to hear that. "Amazon's revenue" is not generated via magic, but people's work. When someone works for Amazon and gets paid for it, Amazon is not doing them a favor and giving them a portion of their revenue, it is the money that solely belongs to the person who earned it. That person is paying the taxes from their revenue, not Amazon. The person in this case is taking a cut from their dues for the work they to support society and the infrastructure that industry (like Amazon) runs on. Amazon is absolutely skirting its responsibilities by not paying income taxes, and this should be considered deeply unethical by all.
    - sneak 7y ago
      I think you are confusing morals (subjective) and ethics (objective). Complying with the tax law, as written, is not itself an unethical act. People disagree on whether or not paying the minimum amount of tax required by law is moral or not. I believe that most people generally agree that the tax law’s current angle of not taxing companies without profits is a reasonable decision.
- ryanlol 7y ago
  Besides what sneak pointed out, Amazon pays all sorts of sales taxes around the world.
- monoideism 7y ago
  OK, I didn't think I had to point this out, but I meant they've paid zero corporate taxes.
  - ryanlol 7y ago
    Why are corporate taxes necessary at all? Why is it not enough to tax profits when they’re distributed?

atlasunshrugged 7y ago

Sure, it's not a permanent solution but should we really only focus on long term and structural solutions and not also on things that temporarily alleviate some problems? We can walk and chew gum at the same time here, we'll have to if we want to solve any serious problem. I don't think anyone would advocate that we all go home and say problem solved after this shelter goes up, and I doubt anyone will really forget that Amazon contributed to the issue in Seattle.

Aloha 7y ago

There are more than one kind of homeless, for some a reliable shelter accommodation is enough to give them stability to rejoin the workforce, which may enable them to afford housing.