Callahan’s Plan: Tax Relief for Main Street Small Businesses, Stopping Corporate and Wall Street Abuses
BETHLEHEM, PA. – Yesterday in response to John Callahan’s Five Point Jobs Plan, Congressman Charlie Dent made his priorities clear: Dent is against tax cuts to help small businesses hire new employees, but for tax handouts to corporations that outsource jobs or use off-shore tax shelters to avoid U.S. taxes. Congressman Dent has taken over $1.7 million in corporate special interest money and he’s repeatedly voted for them instead of small businesses.[1]
“Congressman Dent voted against tax cuts for small businesses and now he’s defending off-shore tax shelters for his corporate contributors,” said John Callahan. “Congressman Dent has taken over $1.7 million from corporate special interests and now he’s supporting tax giveaways to them.”
Shipping Jobs Overseas? There’s a Dent Tax Giveaway for That!The reality is staggering; in the first half of this decade U.S. multinational corporations added 784,000 jobs abroad but cut 2.1 million in America.[2] As one economist recently noted, “The U.S. tax system does provide an incentive to locate production offshore.”[3] The specific provision deals with the way companies address taxes paid abroad, but the net result is a strong incentive to move jobs and investments overseas.
For the last three years there have been repeated efforts to change this, but Dent continues to proudly vote in favor of these tax giveaways.[4] In fact, as recently as three weeks ago, Dent again voted to continue giving our tax dollars away to corporate outsourcers.[5]
Dodging U.S. Taxes in the Caribbean? There’s a Dent Tax Giveaway for That!Large corporations are using offshore tax havens to dodge as much as $37 billion in American taxes each year.[6] If you or I did this we’d go to jail, but thanks to Charlie Dent these companies can continue to dodge these taxes and even get government contracts.[7]
Hiring A New Employee? Dent says No Tax Break for That!One would think a tax break to hire new employees is something everyone could agree on. Not Charlie. He voted against the HIRE Act, which would do just that [8] and yesterday came out against the Callahan plan to increase tax credits to small businesses that hire new employees.
[1] “Charlie Dent Career Profile,” Center for Responsive Politics[2] “Does tax code send U.S. jobs offshore?” Lynch, USA Today, 3/21/2008[3] “Does tax code send U.S. jobs offshore?” Lynch, USA Today, 3/21/2008[4] H.R. 2419, Vote #755, 7/27/2007[5] H.R. 1606, Vote #517, 8/10/2010[6] “Small Businesses Go After Offshore Tax Havens,” Browning, New York Times, 7/19/2010[7] H.R. 3058, Vote #351, 6/30/2005 [8] H.R. 2847, Vote #90, 3/4/2010