The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Amazon Sucks Wealth from All

Jun 11, 2018

Amazon has got cities, counties and states fighting over which can offer it the most in tax breaks for a second headquarters. Recently, it was disclosed that Michigan’s politicians had offered Amazon 4 billion dollars in tax incentives to open its second headquarters there! That means less money for schools and services wherever Amazon opens its operations.

At the same time, Amazon pays so low that thousands of its employees qualify for food stamps, the program now called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

In Pennsylvania, which gave Amazon 25 million dollars to subsidize 10,000 warehouse jobs, one in ten of its workers is on SNAP. In Arizona, the figure of Amazon workers on SNAP is one in three.

In 2017, Amazon’s federal taxes declined below zero. The company paid no income taxes on over five and a half BILLION dollars in profits, and has tax credits left over for future years.

It’s a great deal for Amazon–they get tax breaks everywhere, while taxpayers fund food stamps for thousands of its underpaid employees.