With the US Uncut action events just 24 hours away we wanted to make sure everyone knows who US Uncut is, What we are doing and why we are doing it.

US Uncut Kansas City will rally at the Bank of America Plaza Branch, 4720 Jefferson, Kansas City, MO 64112, at 9:00 am.

WHO/WHAT is US Uncut?

Uncut Kansas City is one of approximately 50 major U.S. cities standing in solidarity with our friends in UK Uncut to demand that corporate tax dodgers pay their fair share of taxes, just like we do. US Uncut is a grassroots movement organized solely through word of mouth and social media that protests the fact that corporations aren't paying their fair share in taxes, which leads to cuts in essential public services.

WHY are you targeting Bank of America and corporations?

If Bank of America alone paid their taxes, we could ‘uncut’ $1.7 billion in early childhood education (Pell Grants).

WHERE did US Uncut come from?

US Uncut is inspired by an article that appeared in The Nation magazine about UK Uncut, a nationwide grassroots movement in Europe that protests corporate tax dodgers and unnecessary budget cuts. The article was called “How to Build a Progressive Tea Party.”

MISSION SUMMARY

Before you cut another program or fire one more teacher, before another police officer gets handed a pink slip, before one more firefighter has to depend on food stamps to keep her family fed, let's make sure the richest of the rich play by the rules and pay their fair share, just like everyone else.

PEACEFUL ACTION STATEMENT

US Uncut is a nonconfrontational and nonviolent grassroots movement. We stand united in the demand that the burden of the current financial and budget crisis be shifted from the backs of the poor and working people and placed upon those that created it. We demand that corporations simply pay their fair share.

FAQs

Q: What the hell are you folks doing?
A:  This is a nonviolent, creative protest of corporate tax dodgers (like Bank of America) because their tax avoidance creates cuts in vital public services, child health and education.

Q: Why Bank of America?
A:  All we're asking is for Bank of America to pay their fair share in taxes. This is a company that made tens of billions in pure profit last year and were paid more than 3 billion dollars from the government to do so. We work hard. We pay our taxes. Why don't they?

Q: Wouldn't taxing them make them less competitive?
A:  We lose out on $100 billion in corporate tax revenue every year. Big business should be responsible to the American taxpayers who make it possible for them to run an American business. If you earn income here, you should pay income taxes here.

Q:  So, US Uncut is anti-business, right?
A:  Not at all. We're just asking that Bank of America along with numerous other corporations pay their fair share in taxes so more folks keep working. I'd say lost jobs and less local spending are both anti-business, wouldn't you?.

Q:  Why don't we just cut back on big government and help businesses
get tax breaks to spur job creation?
A:  How can we give a corporation more tax breaks if they don't pay taxes in the first place? Do you have a dollar in your pocket? That dollar is more than the combined income tax liability of Bank of America, GE and ExxonMobil combined.

Q:  So are you saying we raise taxes on corporations to pay off our debt?
A:  No, just that multi-billion dollar corporations simply pay their fair share like you and I do. Bank of America made billions in profit and had a $0 income tax bill. We work multiple jobs and pay our taxes, why aren't they paying theirs?

Bank of America Tax Avoidance

• BofA is the largest bank and 5th largest corporation in America

• BofA holds over $2.2 Trillion in assets

• BofA received $45 Billion in taxpayer bailout funds in 2008 and 2009

• BofA paid ZERO federal income tax in 2009

• BofA actually received a $1.9 Billion tax benefit from the government in 2009

• BofA took deductions of $2.1 Billion in 2009

• BofA funneled its income through 115 foreign tax-haven subsidiaries

General Corporate Tax Avoidance

• Two-thirds of all US corporations do not pay federal income tax

• 25% of the biggest US corporations do not pay federal income tax

• US corporations avoid between $37 Billion and $100 Billion a year in US taxes

• President Obama has called for ending corporate tax loopholes in his campaign, the 2010 State of the Union and the 2011 State of the Union

• The “Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act” was not acted upon by the previous Congress.

Education Related Cuts

• Congress had proposed a $5.7 billion cut to the Pell Grant program which will directly target lower income students who want a higher education

• Congress has proposed a $1 Billion cut to the Head Start program which will directly target lower income and poverty stricken children

• Congress has proposed a $700 million cut to Title I grants which will directly target children in lower income school districts

• College tuition has risen nearly 20 percent in just two years, making higher education unaffordable, saddling students with crippling debt.