Thread: Stop BEZOS Act would tax Amazon and others over low wages

Bernie Sanders bill would tax Amazon and others over low wages

The Stop BEZOS Act pushes companies to pay living wages.

Jon Fingas, @jonfingas 4h ago
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Sarah Silbiger/CQ Roll Call


Critics have frequently accused Amazon of underpaying warehouse employees to the point where staff must live on food stamps and other government subsidies, and there's now a Senate bill that puts some added weight behind that criticism. Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies Act (aka the not-so-subtle Stop BEZOS Act), a measure that would place a 100 percent tax on the government assistance workers receive at companies with over 500 employees. If an Amazon staffer had to live in public housing, for instance, the internet giant would have to either foot the bill or pay the person well enough that they didn't need help.

Sanders introduced the legislation alongside California Representative Ro Khanna, who produced an equivalent House bill. The two characterized it as kicking "billionaires off welfare," arguing that taxpayers were effectively subsidizing Amazon, Walmart and others who allegedly refused to pay living wages. The politicians also pointed out that both companies were run by some of the richest people in the US -- they can't argue that low pay is due to necessity. Main Street Alliance director Amanda Ballantyne, meanwhile, said that the pay had a knock-on effect for communities and small businesses.

Amazon declined to comment on the Act, although the company has already accused Sanders of distorting its treatment of workers. It claimed that workers using the SNAP food program either only worked for Amazon a short while or chose to work part time, and said that a median salary for American full-time staff was slightly higher than Sanders had indicated ($34,123 versus $28,446). It didn't explain the motivations for people who left quickly or didn't work full time, however.

Whether or not Sanders has a case, the bill still has a long way to go. Even if it passes the Senate, the House bill appeared to be in committee limbo as of this writing. There's also the question of whether or not President Trump would sign a bill into law. While Trump has a public grudge against Amazon and might sign a bill that would punish the company, his administration has historically opposed high taxes for corporations.

Regardless of its fate, the act might work if it pressures Amazon into improving pay.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/05/...top-bezos-act/

“There is a new ‘minimum wage’ for federal bureaucrats – at 78 departments and independent agencies, the average employee made $100,000 or more,” OpenTheBooks said in a statement.

30,000 federal employees earn more than any governor

Governors also have free housing, free food, free transportation, free utilities, free house cleaning, free lawn and landscaping, free everything on top of their salaries. So that's not a good comparison.

While I generally oppose raising minimum wages, I see such companies being indirectly subsidized by such government handouts. If the handout were taken away, the worker would have to look elsewhere for either higher paying jobs or lower cost of living areas. That would result in people willing to work for Amazon or others not being available. To continue, they would either have to find under the table workers, like illegal aliens, or pay higher wages to attract legal workers who could work and live on what such companies pay. So I think it is appropriate for companies like this to have to pay their way.

Bernie Sanders only had one good idea and that was fix the trade deals. The problem with Bernie is he had no clue how to fix them. Thank God, Trump won, because he does.

No, you DO NOT TAX companies for low wages. You keep improving the economy and eventually Amazon will have to raise their wages to keep and find workers. Just cut back the welfare. In this economy, there should be very little welfare going to workers. Just keep fixing the economy and all this crap and imbalance will go away. Bernie is just looking for a way to make a name for himself.

According to the report, the number of federal employees making $200,000 or more increased by 165 percent between fiscal 2010 and 2016.

Federal employees making $150,000 or more grew by 60 percent, with the number making more than $100,000increasing by 37 percent in the same time period.

The group put its figures in context by comparing these plush payment packages with those of America's governors.

“Nearly 30,000 rank-and-file federal employees who received more than $190,823 out-earned each of the 50 state governors,” the report said.

Currently, the top gubernatorial earners are Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, who makes $190,823; Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who makes $187,500; and California Gov. Jerry Brown, who makes $182,971. The lowest-paid governor is Maine Gov. Paul LePage, making just $70,000, according to numbers from Ballotpedia.

30,000 federal employees earn more than any governor

Federal employees also are given considerable paid-time-off. According to the report, on average, federal employees are given 10 federal holidays, 13 sick days, and 20 vacation days per year.

“If each employee used 13 sick days and took 20 vacation days in addition to the 10 federal holidays, it would cost taxpayers an estimated $22.6 billion annually,” the report said.

30,000 federal employees earn more than any governor

10/27/14

Fast food jobs pay $20 here…voluntarily

How did "Bernie Sanders bill would tax Amazon and others over low wages" morph into “There is a new ‘minimum wage’ for federal bureaucrats" and "federal employees are given 10 federal holidays, 13 sick days, and 20 vacation days per year."? Is Bernie suggesting the these poor federal employees are also on food stamps?