> As you have not already learned from the Strib or > PiP, > HR 4986 rolled trhough the US House Sept 13. > > What is HR 4986, and why do I care? > > HR 4986 is business as usual, and it will give the > EU > 4-6 billion per year in either tax breaks for its > exports, or the ability to create sanctions on US > imports. > > Why is this? you ask. Because the US has a tiny > little program (the FSC - or Foriegn Sales > Corporation) which provides $4-6 billion/year in tax > breaks for US corporations such as Microsoft, > Boeing, > etc. Being the watchdogs of fairness, the WTO > (World > Trade Organization) has ruled in a case for the EU > that the US must grant the same amount of benefits > (or > sanctions) for the EU or scrap its benefits it gives > to US corporations. > > When the US House voted, MN delegates Guteknech, > Minge, Ramstad and Sabo all voted to give the > massive > tax breaks to the EU, Oberstar, Peterson and Luther > voted against and Vento did not vote. > > Call me old fashioned, but it seems to me we should > be > pushing to get rid of the tax breaks for Microsoft > et > al and not worry about weather we should allow the > EU > to give breaks to their own or create sanctions for > certain US industries. The easiest (and smartest) > solution is for the US to scrap the generous > corporate > welfare for US corporations so the US does not have > to > provide for the EU (and rest of the world to > follow). > > The US Senate is playing around with approving HR > 4986 > but trying to keep any riders from being attached > (minimum wage increases, less military spending, > etc) > becuase it is assumed that this tax break for the EU > is a done deal and Lott et al do not want deal > breaker > riders or unrepublican measures sneaking > through...so > there is probably a decent window of opportunity to > raise awareness about what is going on and try to > create some resistance to this corporate welfare. > > When given the opportunity see where Grams and > Wellstone stand on the issue as well as Gibson and > Dayton. > > HR 4986 - good for major corporations, bad for > everyone else. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - 35mm Quality Prints, Now Get 15 Free! http://photos.yahoo.com/
