Previous Media Alerts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 23, 2017
MEDIA ALERT: Speaker Paul Ryan Facing Everett Protest Against Corporate Tax Cuts
WHAT: Protest Paul Ryan’s “Tax Reform” Town Hall
WHERE: 20th Ave W (Seaway) & 75th St SW, Everett, WA 98203
WHEN: Thursday – August 24th, 2017 – 7am – 1pm
Everett – House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) will face protests from a coalition of local activists when he presents the Republican tax plan to Boeing executives and employees this August 24 in Everett. Dubbed “No More Corporate Welfare,” the protest will be held on August 24 from 7 AM – 1PM a.m. at Boeing in Everett.
“Paul Ryan has come to Boeing to tell the tired lie that corporations pay too much in taxes,” said protest organizer Nicole Bradt. “He is cynically ignoring how Boeing pays virtually no income tax.” From 2003 to 2014, Boeing earned roughly $130 billion in profits, yet paid federal income taxes in only three of those years. Cumulatively over this 12-year period, Boeing received $1.3 billion more in federal tax refunds than it paid in income taxes. “If Ryan wants to brag about the largess of corporate welfare, he’s come to the right place,” Bradt added.
While corporate profits are at record highs, study after study shows that the wages of working-class Americans have been stagnant for decades, except in Seattle, which recently increased their minimum wage to $15 per hour, bolstering wages not just for low-income workers, but everyone else. Seattle’s booming economy and higher wages across the spectrum are proof that increasing the minimum wage, not decreasing corporate taxes, helps low and middle income families see their real wages increase. Yet the Trump-Ryan tax plan would dramatically revise the tax code so that the wealthy and large corporations would pay even less of their fair share. To pay for these tax cuts, Trump and Ryan propose to slash vital programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, placing new burdens on ordinary Americans to make the rich richer.
“How can Speaker Ryan come to Boeing offering corporate tax cuts when Boeing’s effective tax rate is around 1%?” asked Leslie Brown of Indivisible North Seattle. “You can’t pay much less in taxes than 1%!” “Boeing should be using the generous tax breaks it already receives to benefit its employees and our communities,” added Anita Dietrich of Everett Resistance Group. “Instead it is laying off employees,” Dietrich continued, “cutting 6,300 jobs last year and 4,000 so far this year. If tax cuts reversed job losses, then the tax breaks Boeing has already received should have done the trick. For Speaker Ryan to come to Everett offering even larger tax breaks is mind-boggling in its cynicism.”
The rally is being organized by Tax March Seattle and a coalition of Indivisible chapters throughout the Puget Sound area, including groups from Seattle, North Seattle, Everett, Skagit County and Whidbey Island. Indivisible is a national organization consisting of over 6,000 local grassroots groups, dedicated to opposing the Trump agenda through peaceful and inclusive community action. At the August 24 rally, protestors will line the sidewalks surrounding Boeing to wave protest signs opposing tax cuts and loopholes for the rich, and demanding that the federal budget retain programs protecting ordinary Americans and providing for education, environmental protection, civil rights and other values embraced by a wide majority of Americans.
Sources: http://www.seattletimes.com/news/boeing-pays-581m-in-federal-income-tax-unlike-last-year/
http://www.heraldnet.com/news/house-speaker-to-visit-boeing-in-everett-to-talk-tax-reform/
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For interviews and information contact:
Kat Martin, Seattle Tax March TaxMarchSeattle@gmail.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 10, 2017
MEDIA ALERT: ACTIVISTS, ASSEMBLE! Progressive Activist Groups Rallying in SHORELINE
On Monday April 17, for the first time, the largest Indivisible groups in Washington state: Indivisible North Seattle, Seattle Indivisible, Indivisible Eastside, and Puget Sound Indivisible (with combined membership of over 10,000) are co-sponsoring an Indivisible Town Meeting during the April congressional recess. The goal is to empower citizens who are angry and frustrated about what’s happening, but don’t know how to fight back. The event will feature speakers and an “Activist Fair” in which attendees can learn how to use social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) and other tools for social change. They will also learn how to contact Members of Congress, and network with other progressive activist groups.
The evening will include:
- Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant speaking on the fight for Single Payer health care.
- King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski speaking on Protecting Puget Sound from the Trump EPA.
- Expert speakers on other critical issues: Immigrant Rights and Sanctuary Cities, Investigating Trump ties to Russia, Defeating Dave Reichert, Flipping the 45th LD, and more.
- Activist Fair: Easy, effective ways for attendees to take their activism to the next level, and network with other progressive activist groups.
You can read details on the event here.
WHAT: Indivisible Town Meeting: Activists, Assemble!
WHERE: Shoreline Conference Center – 18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline, WA 98155
WHEN: Monday, April 17, 7 pm – 9 pm
Indivisible groups across the country are organizing and growing stronger. We are winning key battles against Trump and unjust policies based on exclusion, hate, and greed. Defeating Trumpcare and the Muslim travel ban was just the beginning… Activists, Assemble!
- Media Release (pdf) | Flyer (pdf) | Program (pdf)
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