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Bezos literally got his phone hacked by foreign intelligence services for being supportive of the party that wants to fix this situation. He's benefiting becaus

Bezos literally got his phone hacked by foreign intelligence services for being supportive of the party that wants to fix this situation. He's benefiting because Amazon is well run and well positioned for this. He couldn't control how the response was managed and he doesn't control tax policy. Do a better job of blaming the people who are actually at fault, or you are abetting them.

tw04 6y ago
Amazon has been using tax havens for years and years. Amazon has been actively preventing unionization of employees. Jeff Bezos has personally donated to both political parties. Don't confuse his personal dislike of Trump with some sort of undying support of the Democratic party or their tax policies.
- throwaway5752 6y ago
  Of course he donates to both political parties, he's not a moron. Of course he uses the most advantageous legal tax strategy available. Almost every US company prevents union organization (nothing they've done comes close to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Walmart#Labor_union_opposition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Walmart#Labor_uni..., and I wouldn't be surprised if companies astroturfed union initiatives in competitors) He is a private citizen and just because he's wealthy it's not his job to fix the US financial system. I don't have time or inclination to rehash it all so https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_of_Jeff_Bezos%27s_phone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_of_Jeff_Bezos%27s_phone, but he owns WaPo and the hacking was probably retribution re Khashoggi. There was nothing done about it because "somebody" didn't like the WaPo editorial stance.
  - tw04 6y ago
    >Of course he uses the most advantageous legal tax strategy available. Almost every US company prevents union organization >just because he's wealthy it's not his job to fix the US financial system. In other words, he should be lumped in with all the other billionaires that avoid taxes and aren't doing anything to uphold the social contract.
dillondoyle 6y ago
Long post alert... -- If Bezos's and the other mega billionaires wanted to truly change the tax code for a top .0001% tax rate or whatever they could almost certainly get it done. How much does Bezos spend on lobbying (not Amazon specific interests)? Virtually a 25 cents to him - .000086 Adelson spent something like $500mm over a decade and he probably has 75% or more of the 'credit' for changing pro-Isreal policy. Bezos and the rest of them could put a few billion into treasuries and still not lose any basis just use the dividends politically. In addition if they stopped following shareholder primacy Bezos could direct Amazon to repatriate profits continually and pay the tax. Stop relying on legal 'loopholes' to lower tax % and just pay in 'best faith' and stop pitting local governments against each other in a race to the bottom. Hell they could even send a check to Treasury but spending only a billion $ lobbying for new laws would be more effective and longer term. -- Personally I'd like to see something like a sovereign wealth fund that benefits social security/healthcare and directly supports the bottom 40%. Look to Alaska as an example. Each 'bailout' the taxpayers should get a % of shares for their investment, basically free money from the Fed which is supposed to make its money back anyways. Fannie/Freddit/TARP is an odd example something more like UAE, Norway but passive and only US companies Go further and make it part of taxes for the mega corps only. 14% profit + a small % of shares annually. We don't have to turn into CCP with control over Corporate direction. Simply hold the shares passively. Have to figure out something where corps have no dividends. Maybe a set yearly sale %. I think about how beneficial it would be to give $1600 cash right now and match another $1600 to each individual in basically a retirement index fund that is only accessible in ___ years or ___ first time homebuyer etc circumstances like a new type of IRA. Hell the government could take a cut in ___ years and it would pay for itself.
- acct776 6y ago
  That's not his fuckin job!
  - dillondoyle 6y ago
    I'm specifically responding to parent " He couldn't control how the response was managed and he doesn't control tax policy" saying he could easily exert a LOT of power to change tax policy if he wanted to. And could step up and pay more in taxes even without changing the laws

tw04 6y ago

Amazon has been using tax havens for years and years. Amazon has been actively preventing unionization of employees. Jeff Bezos has personally donated to both political parties. Don't confuse his personal dislike of Trump with some sort of undying support of the Democratic party or their tax policies.

throwaway5752 6y ago
Of course he donates to both political parties, he's not a moron. Of course he uses the most advantageous legal tax strategy available. Almost every US company prevents union organization (nothing they've done comes close to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Walmart#Labor_union_opposition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Walmart#Labor_uni..., and I wouldn't be surprised if companies astroturfed union initiatives in competitors) He is a private citizen and just because he's wealthy it's not his job to fix the US financial system. I don't have time or inclination to rehash it all so https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_of_Jeff_Bezos%27s_phone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_of_Jeff_Bezos%27s_phone, but he owns WaPo and the hacking was probably retribution re Khashoggi. There was nothing done about it because "somebody" didn't like the WaPo editorial stance.
- tw04 6y ago
  >Of course he uses the most advantageous legal tax strategy available. Almost every US company prevents union organization >just because he's wealthy it's not his job to fix the US financial system. In other words, he should be lumped in with all the other billionaires that avoid taxes and aren't doing anything to uphold the social contract.

dillondoyle 6y ago

Long post alert... -- If Bezos's and the other mega billionaires wanted to truly change the tax code for a top .0001% tax rate or whatever they could almost certainly get it done. How much does Bezos spend on lobbying (not Amazon specific interests)? Virtually a 25 cents to him - .000086 Adelson spent something like $500mm over a decade and he probably has 75% or more of the 'credit' for changing pro-Isreal policy. Bezos and the rest of them could put a few billion into treasuries and still not lose any basis just use the dividends politically. In addition if they stopped following shareholder primacy Bezos could direct Amazon to repatriate profits continually and pay the tax. Stop relying on legal 'loopholes' to lower tax % and just pay in 'best faith' and stop pitting local governments against each other in a race to the bottom. Hell they could even send a check to Treasury but spending only a billion $ lobbying for new laws would be more effective and longer term. -- Personally I'd like to see something like a sovereign wealth fund that benefits social security/healthcare and directly supports the bottom 40%. Look to Alaska as an example. Each 'bailout' the taxpayers should get a % of shares for their investment, basically free money from the Fed which is supposed to make its money back anyways. Fannie/Freddit/TARP is an odd example something more like UAE, Norway but passive and only US companies Go further and make it part of taxes for the mega corps only. 14% profit + a small % of shares annually. We don't have to turn into CCP with control over Corporate direction. Simply hold the shares passively. Have to figure out something where corps have no dividends. Maybe a set yearly sale %. I think about how beneficial it would be to give $1600 cash right now and match another $1600 to each individual in basically a retirement index fund that is only accessible in ___ years or ___ first time homebuyer etc circumstances like a new type of IRA. Hell the government could take a cut in ___ years and it would pay for itself.

acct776 6y ago
That's not his fuckin job!
- dillondoyle 6y ago
  I'm specifically responding to parent " He couldn't control how the response was managed and he doesn't control tax policy" saying he could easily exert a LOT of power to change tax policy if he wanted to. And could step up and pay more in taxes even without changing the laws