Loopholes Costs U.S. $150 Billion a Year

AUSTIN, Texas – As Texas taxpayers raced to beat the midnight filing deadline on April 15, another year has come and gone with the nation losing out on billions of dollars because of offshore corporate tax havens. The loopholes that allow for the hiding of income need to be closed, according to many citizens, businesses and groups, including the American Sustainable Business Council. CEO David Levine declared that it is time to level the playing field.

“Many of the small and medium and even the large responsible companies are paying their fair share of taxes, whereas some of the large multinational corporations are hiding their profits overseas and not paying any taxes back in this country,” he said.

It’s estimated that every year, corporations and wealthy individuals in the U.S. avoid paying $150 billion in taxes by using complicated accounting tricks to shift their profits to offshore tax havens.

Levine said that lost revenue has negative effects on the nation from coast to coast because it could be used for deficit reduction or needed investments.

“The funding at the local, state and national level for infrastructure, from transportation to energy to support for education systems, that funding is just not going to be there because of the large amounts of funds in these tax havens,” he explained.

Also in support of closing the loopholes are a majority of the nation’s small-business owners. A new poll found that three-fourths of those owners, of all political persuasions, want to see Congress act to stop the abuse of offshore tax havens.

Among them is Mitch Rofsky, owner of Better World Club, an eco-friendly provider of insurance and roadside assistance, who called the current system “egregious” on a number of levels.

“The first is just a question of not paying American taxes on real earned income,” he said. “And then, related to that, you could set up phony offices in the Cayman Islands and avoid paying legitimate taxes that way, as well.”

Legislation that would close offshore tax haven loopholes already has been introduced in the U.S. Senate and a similar bill in the U.S. House is expected to be introduced.

More information is at bit.ly/10MfxlB.

Only about 11 percent of Americans who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting survive. But with bystander CPR, their odds of survival are doubled or even tripled. HB 897 would require all students in Texas to be taught CPR prior to graduation. Courtesy of American Heart Association.

AUSTIN, Texas – A hearing was held recently at the State Capitol on a bill that has the potential to save thousands of lives, by having CPR taught to all Texas high school pupils before graduation.

Among the supporters of the legislation is Dr. Ellen Pringle of the University of Texas, who said the hands-only CPR method is easy to learn and should be one of those basic life skills.

“We learn how to change oil, we learn how to balance checkbooks, but we don’t learn one of the most vital things that there is – and that’s saving someone that’s either a friend, a family member – if something bad happens,” she asserted. “So we’re excited about it. We hope we can get the bill passed.”

Also urging lawmakers to pass the legislation is Matt Nader of Austin, who was 17 years old when he suffered cardiac arrest during a high school football game. Nader’s parents were there and immediately started CPR on their son. Nader survived, and now he’s among those who want to turn everyday people into an army of lifesavers.

Matt Nader suffered from cardiac arrest while playing a high school football game. He survived thanks to bystander CPR by his parents and is now an advocate for having CPR taught to all Texas high schoolers.

“There’s no substitute in adequate preparation for anything,” Nader declared. “People that are able to understand the situation. They’re prepared and they’re confident. And when it comes down to saving somebody’s life, that’s the most important thing.”

For those opposed or uncertain about the requirement, one concern is about adding another cost to strapped school budgets. But Pringle said it can be done with little to no cost, since certification is not needed and many emergency responders will conduct the training for free.

“Houston Independent School District has done this training in the past and we’ve gone in free of charge to help the students learn this,” she cited as an example. “It’s very simple.”

The bill under consideration would have all pupils in the state take just one 30-minute CPR class at some point between seventh grade and high school graduation. The measure is supported by nearly 80 percent of Texans, according to polling by the American Heart Association. Heart disease is the state’s leading killer.

Around 300,000 Americans suffer cardiac arrest away from the hospital every year. Those who have bystander CPR administered are twice or even three times more likely to survive.

More information is at legiscan.com.

A coalition of beekeepers and environmental and consumer groups filed suit Thursday, claiming the EPA allows products – which are highly toxic to honey bees – to get to market with little oversight. Photo By Derek Keats

AUSTIN, Texas – A lawsuit has been filed against the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming the EPA is not doing enough to protect the nation’s declining bee population.

The suit was brought by a coalition of beekeepers and environmental groups, including the Pesticide Action Network.

Paul Towers, organizing and media director for the Pesticide Action Network, says the EPA has failed by allowing bee-toxic pesticides in dozens of widely used agricultural products for years.

“EPA has acted as a rubber stamp for these neonicotinoid products,” he says. “They’ve rushed the products to market, and even when they’re on the market, they’ve failed to provide the right protections on these pesticide labels. So EPA has really shirked its responsibility and that’s why we’re taking them to court.”

Research points to a combination of factors likely to blame for honeybees disappearing, including pesticides and bacterial infections.

Beekeepers in the United States have been losing about a third of their bees annually and this past year there was a record high, with many reporting losses of 40 to 50 percent.

It was even worse for Steve Ellis, who owns the Old Mill Honey Company and is among the plaintiffs.

Ellis says he lost nearly two-thirds of his bees this year and, like many other keepers, didn’t have enough to fulfill his pollination contracts with almond growers in California.

Ellis says that will have a ripple effect on a variety of crops and consumers nationwide.

“You sit down at the breakfast table and you want to have your blueberries and your apples and your cherries and your almonds,” he says. “And if those yields are going to be impacted by insufficient pollinators, the price is going to go up and the availability is going to go down.”

With the filing of the suit, Paul Towers says the Pesticide Action Network hopes to force the EPA to review these products independently, and through the normal and more rigorous process.

“And in the interim, it should impose restrictions on the use of these pesticides that are toxic to bees,” he says. “Those are the clear and easy steps that the agency can take to ensure the success of bees, of pollination and to support our food system.”

It is the EPA’s policy to not comment on pending litigation.

Taken in 2010 following the Deepwater Horizon spill, this photo shows an oil covered pelican. Of particular concern today is the spill’s continuing impact on sea turtles and dolphins. Courtesy of Louisiana Governor’s Office.

AUSTIN, Texas – Nearly three years after the Deepwater Horizon spill, a new study says the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster is far from over.

Oil still is washing ashore, said Doug Inkley, a senior scientist for the National Wildlife Federation and lead author of the report. Inkley said the impact continues to be felt by wildlife, including sea turtles and – of particular concern – dolphins.

“We know that dolphins are still dying in high numbers in the areas that have been affected by the spill,” he said, “and that these ongoing deaths – particularly in a species at the top of the food chain – are a strong indication that something is seriously amiss in the ecosystems of the gulf. ”

The April 20, 2010, explosion on BP’s Deepwater rig killed 11 people and ultimately sent more than 4 million barrels of oil into the gulf, in the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history.The full impact of the spill won’t really be known for years, but Inkley said the other major concern now is the continued loss of the gulf’s coastal wetlands.

“They have been in dramatic decline for decades,” he said. “In fact, in the last 80 years, Louisiana alone has lost coastal wetlands the size of the state of Rhode Island. Restoring Gulf coast wetlands is urgent, and it’s critical for maintaining the gulf’s rich fish and wildlife resources as well as the local economy.”

Capt. Ryan Lambert, owner of Buras, La.-based Cajun Fishing Adventures, has made a living in the gulf for more than 30 years. Lambert said the spill led to unprecedented – and continuing – coastal erosion.

“There’s total islands gone,” he said. “There are large areas of marsh that are gone. And what it’s doing is, it’s taking away the vegetation and the things that held the marsh into place. So now, every time you get a tidal surge or just day-to-day tides coming in and out, we’re losing marsh at a rate more rapid than I’ve seen in all my years here.”

The report’s release comes as BP and other companies involved are on trial in federal court in New Orleans for violations of multiple environmental laws. The Department of Justice has concluded that BP was grossly negligent. BP says the spill was a tragic accident resulting from multiple causes and involving multiple parties.

The report is online at nwf.org.