New national movement points taxpayers in the right direction

From Wisconsin to Winsted, it is impossible to escape the fiscal nightmare being played out in towns and states across the country, where political leaders are bickering over mountains of debt. But beyond the disagreements over cutting spending versus raising taxes, American taxpayers should have been flabbergasted and outraged last week when they were reminded that nearly two-thirds of U.S. corporations pay no income tax and that 83 of the top 100 publicly traded companies here use offshore tax havens to shelter their income from taxes.Consumer advocates have complained for years about the abuses, to no avail. U.S. companies continue to send profits through post office boxes in the Caribbean in order to reduce taxable income here in the states, evading billions of dollars in taxes and in some cases receiving tax rebates. For Americans who are wondering why the government appears to be going bankrupt, this would be a good place to start investigating.Ordinary Americans who pay their taxes do not have the same resources enjoyed by major corporations, but the playing field began to level out last week, when a new organization, US Uncut (usuncut.org) exploded onto the national scene, citing the latest statistics on tax-dodging corporations and encouraging citizens to get involved. US Uncut’s first day of action was Feb. 26, and on that day alone, protests against Bank of America’s use of tax shelters took place in 50 cities, making national headlines. Demonstrators noted that Bank of America made $4.4 billion in pre-tax income in 2009, paid zero dollars in taxes and received $1.9 billion in tax benefits.US Uncut’s website encourages visitors to start their own “actions” in their hometowns. The site maintains a list of action events that have already been scheduled and offers tips on how to get organized. The entire concept evolved from the highly successful UK Uncut movement, which has become a Youtube sensation.From a guide to civil disobedience to printable posters and latest news, US Uncut provides just about everything you’ll need to become a one-person revolution. If the movement keeps growing, the government might just end up finding where all the money went.