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>> Tucker: JEFF BEZOS IS THE
RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD, THE
RICHEST MAN WHO HAS EVER LIVED
IN THE WORLD.
AMAZON, HIS COMPANY, IS ONE OF
THE COUNTRY'S MOST VALUABLE.
BUT THE COMPANY'S TAX PAYMENTS
ARE NOT KEEPING UP WITH THIS
GREAT WEALTH.
THAT IS A PROFOUND
UNDERSTATEMENT.
HERE'S ONE EXAMPLE.
LAST YEAR, AMAZON MADE
$5.6 BILLION IN PROFIT, THEY
NETTED THAT.
BUT THEY USED TAX CREDITS AND
OTHER BENEFITS TO AVOID PAYING
ANY FEDERAL INCOME TAX.
DID YOU PAY FEDERAL INCOME TAX
LAST YEAR?
OH, ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPANIES
IN THE WORLD.
NONE.
NEVERTHELESS, GOVERNMENTS AROUND
THE COUNTRY, STATE AND LOCAL,
ARE RACING TO PROVIDE AMAZON
WITH MORE PERKS AND TAX BREAKS
AS IT LOOKS TO CHOOSE THE SITE
OF A SECOND HEADQUARTERS BECAUSE
MASOCHISM IS VERY COMMON AMONG
STATE GOVERNMENTS.
A FINANCIAL ANALYST, A VERY
SMART ONE, JOINS US TONIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR COMING ON.
HOW DOES IT WORK THAT ONE OF THE
BIGGEST COMPANIES IN THE WORLD,
AN AMERICAN COMPANY, PAYS NO
FEDERAL TAXES?
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
THIS IS A NONPARTISAN ISSUE.
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS STATED THAT
IT'S A "NO" TAX MONOPOLY.
BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS
ALIKE WOULD SAY THAT WE ARE IN
AGREEMENT WITH THAT STATEMENT,
AND THAT IS NOT OKAY.
ALTHOUGH THEY DO PAY STATE AND
LOCAL INCOME TAXES, THEY PAY
ZERO FEDERAL INCOME --
>> Tucker: NO.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" TODAY LEFT
TO AMAZON'S DEFENSE, AND EFFECT
BY SAYING, THAT IS NOT
REALLY TRUE.
THEY INSTINCTIVELY DEFENDED A
COMPANY FOR PAYING NO FEDERAL
TAXES.
THIS IS HOW UPSIDE DOWN OUR
WORLD IS.
>> THAT'S UNUSUAL.
I WOULD EXPECT MOST DEMOCRATS OR
LIBERAL NEWSPAPER OR SOURCE TO
NOT PACK A BIG CORPORATION
PAYING ZERO FEDERAL INCOME TAX.
>> Tucker: YET IT'S A VERY
LIBERAL CORPORATION.
>> HERE'S A REASON WHY THEY GET
AWAY WITH IT, FROM THE SOURCES
VARIOUS TAX BREAKS, THEY SAY
THAT EXECUTIVE STOCK OPTIONS ARE
ALLOWING THEM TO PAY ZERO
FEDERAL INCOME TAX.
NOW IT'S NOT ILLEGAL.
THESE ARE TAX LOOPHOLES, IT'S IN
OUR TAX CODE, OUR CURRENT TAX
SYSTEM.
THEY ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
THAT.
BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT OR
FAIR.
A COMPANY THAT RAKED IN
$175 BILLION LAST YEAR, THIS
JUST ISN'T RIGHT.
I'M SURE YOU PAID MORE IN
FEDERAL TAXES.
>> I DID.
I HAVEN'T PUT TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF PEOPLE OUT OF WORK, LIKE
AMAZON HAS.
THEY'VE HIRED A LOT BUT THEY
HAVE PUT MANY MORE OUT OF WORK.
THEY DESTROYED MANY MORE
BUSINESSES THAN THEY HAVE
CREATED.
I GET IT, THAT IS THE NATURE OF
MARKET CAPITALISM.
THEY FEEL NO OBLIGATION TO GIVE
BACK IT ALSO THE FEDERAL
TREASURY AT ALL?
>> WHAT'S WORSE IS THAT THEY ARE
ABLE TO GRANDFATHER IN DEFERRED
TAXES.
DEFERRED TAXES, THOSE THAT THEY
HAVE DELAYED IN THE PAST,
PERFECTLY LEGAL, NOW THEY CAN
HAVE THOSE TAXES AT THE LOWER
CORPORATE TAX RATE, IF I
EFFECTIVE AT 21% VERSUS 3035%,
IN THE PRIOR YEARS.
THAT IS RIDICULOUS.
WE WOULD ALL LOVE TO REFUND OUR
TAXES, AND LET ME PAY MY LOWER
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOW
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOB
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOC
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOU
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOE
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOI
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOD
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOV
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOD
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOA
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOL
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOR
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOT
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOS
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOA
INDIVIDUAL INCOME RATE RIGHT NOE
NOW TAXED AT A LOWER BRACKET, AS
OUR CORPORATE RATES.
THAT IS JUST LUDICROUS.
IT SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED.
>> Tucker: NO, IT SHOULDN'T.
THE DEFAULT, AND EVEN, THE
PRESIDENT SAID THIS.
THE DEFAULT OR PEOPLE AND
BUSINESSES, IT'S ALLOWED,
THEREFORE YOU GOT TO DO IT.
IT ALSO ALLOWED TO SCREAM
OBSCENITIES AT YOUR ELDERLY
PARENTS BUT IT'S WRONG AND YOU
SHOULDN'T DO IT.
IT'S NOT ILLEGAL.
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT
AREN'T ILLEGAL BUT THEY ARE
IMMORAL.
DOES ANY COMPANY EVER SAY, THIS
IS OUR NATION FROM AMERICA?
WE HAVE TO GIVE BACK A LITTLE
BIT.
DO THEY EVER SAY THAT?
>> THEY SHOWED.
IT GETS WORSE BECAUSE OF THE
STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL, THEY ARE
NOW OFFERING TAX INCENTIVES FOR
AMAZON TO PUT THEIR SECOND
HEADQUARTERS IN THEIR TOWN.
THAT IS A LEGITIMATE THING TO
WANT FOR YOUR CITY, NOT AT THE
EXPENSE OF TAXPAYERS.
>> Tucker: I AGREE.
AMAZON, WE REACHED OUT TO THEM,
THEY DID NOT RESPOND.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I WANTED TO
ASK, DOES THAT MEAN I STILL HAVE
TO PAY MY FEDERAL TAXES?
TO MY VIEWERS?
>> UNFORTUNATELY, THE CURRENT
TAX CODE STANCE, WE DO.
>> Tucker: SO WE DO BUT JEFF