Download poster - PDF Coalition calls for closing corporate tax loopholes In early January, PEF President Ken Brynien joined with a large coalition of community organizations to help bring fairness and transparency to New York’s corporate tax system. The groups, which held a press conference at the Legislative Office Building in Albany, spoke about New York’s worst corporate tax dodgers, and used the chart on this page as an illustration. “It is outrageous that hard-working PEF members pay the same or a higher tax rate than New York companies that make up to $33 billion in profits a year. It’s particularly insulting that middle class families are paying the same tax rate as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation,” Brynien said. Other speakers from various unions echoed what Brynien had to say. The coalition focused on three main principles: enforcement, fairness and transparency. “We are asking that real estate partnerships be required to pay the taxes they owe. New York’s corporate alternate minimum tax also needs to be reformed. The state needs to crack down on schemes that create “nowhere income,” and there needs to be public disclosure of corporate tax payments for publicly traded companies,” Brynien said. — Deborah A. Miles, graphic by Mario Bruni

The Communicator Letters policy We welcome letters to the editor about union issues and events relevant to PEF's diverse membership. All letters are subject to editing for space, fairness and good taste. Please keep them brief (up to one page, double-spaced or a maximum of 250 words), and please include your name and phone number for verification. Send letters to thecommunicator@pef.org: The Communicator Public Employees Federation P.O. Box 12414 Albany, N.Y. 12212-2414 Email to Sherry Halbrook, Editor or Darcy Wells, Editor-In Chief