‘Pay Your Fair Share!’: Protesters Heckle GE CEO & Obama Admin ‘Jobs Czar’
- Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:44pm by
Becket Adams
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Protesters interrupted a speech by General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt in Detroit on Tuesday, chanting President Obama’s oft-repeated mantra: “pay your fair share.”
Immelt, who was speaking to the SAE World Congress, responded to the Cobo Center protesters by defending his brand’s payment of income taxes.
“Tax rate was 29 percent last year,” the president’s “job czar” told the members of the “99 percent.”
Roughly 20 protesters “scuffled” with Detroit police before being escorted out of the building. The protestors blew whistles and were “forcibly blocked” from entering the SAE exhibition hall, according to The Detroit News.
The whistle-toting “99 percenters” tried to hand Immelt a bill for $26.5 billion — the amount they claim GE owes in back taxes under the 35 percent statutory tax rate.
“Enough is enough,” said Shyquetta McElroy, a other of two, who traveled from Milwaukee to join the protests. “I made the trip to Detroit because Wisconsin is suffering from a debt epidemic right now and I believe that should not be true when we have big corporations like GE who have only paid 11 percent in taxes.”
“I pay my taxes year after year — why doesn’t GE?”
See Immelt confronted by the “99%” (via Aaron Krager):
GE paid a 25 percent income tax rate in the U.S. in 2011 and a 29 percent rate globally, according to GE spokesman Gary Sheffer.
The company paid $2.9 billion globally in income tax in 2011, he added.
Sheffer went on to explain that GE only paid a 7 percent U.S. tax rate in 2010 because “it had lost $32 billion in its financial services unit and because of other tax breaks.”
“We paid income taxes and we paid another $1 billion in taxes across the U.S. — state, local federal,” he said. “The folks that are protesting here are unfortunately protesting based on misinformation. We did pay taxes. Our rate was lower.”
Watch the “99%” as they’re escorted out of the Cobo Center:
The protesters yelled that GE was “the poster child of American corporate tax-dodging” and argued it has been paying only a 2.3 percent effective rate over the last 10 years, The Detroit News reports.
But according to GE, these are the facts (via the Weekly Standard):
GE paid almost $2.7 billion of income taxes to governments around the world during 2010 including payment of substantial income taxes to the US government for prior years. GE paid income taxes for our 2010 return. GE also paid more than $1 billion in other federal, state and local taxes in the U.S. in 2010. The main reason why GE’s tax rate was so low in 2010 was that we lost billions of dollars in GE Capital as a result of the global financial crisis.
Immelt brushed off the protesters by joking that it was “good practice” for the company’s annual meeting in Detroit on Thursday, which, by the way, the UAW has said it might protest.
Protesters play “taxdodger ball”:
This article has been updated.



















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Comments (113)
Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:54pmHow come they never cry for sweat equality? The 99%-ers get paid for what they earn! no more, no less..
Report Post »brother_ed
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:59pmThe occupiers may be reaching the end of there usefulness.
I sense “Night of the Long Knives 2” coming to a theater near you. Should be interesting…
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 6:54pmThe left, eating their own……priceless
Report Post »db321
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 7:04pmThe OWSer are in trouble now – they probably don‘t know that the CEO of GE is a member of Obama’s cabinet.
Report Post »ProbIemSoIver
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 7:52pmHats off to these protestors.
They are doing more for our Country than 99% of you arm-chair political pundits.
90% of you are Pathetic.
I disagree with Socialism 100%, and support the Constitution 100%.
But these left-wingers are doing more to destroy the Global Elite than you.
You clowns think Romney or Santorum is going to save our Country. You are all so blind to the Left/Right Paradigm.
I disagree with the marxist, collectivist OWSs, but I applaud them for getting off their @$$e$ and getting in the Global Elite’s faces.
The time for discourse is over. It is time to show them that WE the PEOPLE are PI$$ED !!!!!!
It does not matter if you are a gun-toting hardcore conservative or a hippie marxist,
Report Post »WE ARE ALL SLAVES TO THE GLOBAL ELITE AND THEIR DEBT MONEY SYSTEM !!!!!!!
ProbIemSoIver
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 8:07pmHere is a community college 21-year old OWS protestor that knows more that 90% of you !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQow0Fhua1A
While you were sitting on your @$$e$, Grand Central Station was FULL of OWS protestors standing up for YOUR RIGHTS !!!!
Report Post »They were protesting NDAA !!!!!
WTF were you all doing ?????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZYavWrIDXU
XScramblerX
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 10:07pmI agree with PROBLEMSOLVER.
Report Post »I hope they move on to the FED and the WH.
A complete backfire on the Global Elite!
The TRUTH has no agenda!
Kenny_in_Indiana
Posted on April 25, 2012 at 12:42pm*Yawns* at PROBIEMSOIVER.
Here is what I was doing while they were occupying. WORKING AND RAISING MY FAMILY!!!!!!!
I will do my due diligence come voting time.
P.S. I don’t believe ANY politician is going to save us/me.
Report Post »Kenny_in_Indiana
Posted on April 25, 2012 at 12:51pm@PROBIEMSOIVER
Who are you talking to when you say “you all are blind’? I think most everyone reading anything in here isn’t blind to anything. I think we see clearly. I can’t agree with anything the OWS stands for, because they aren’t sure what they stand for. All they know is they aren’t rich, they have bills, they don’t have jobs, and don’t like anyone that has succeeded in life.
All praise John Lovitz and his now timeless rant on the social structure.
Report Post »EndTheFedNOW
Posted on April 25, 2012 at 3:10pmThe first two post were people not even talking about GE not paying taxes. Like none of the elite do. They are blind. Problem is RIGHT. To hell with socalism and communism. But atleast they are bucking the system. Its not enough just to vote anymore. These people are wrecking our COUNTRY. Get up and get OUT!
Report Post »charjan
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:53pmCan you believe Gov’t Motors doesn’t want to send any collected tax moneys back to the BOSS? I’m sure the CHIEF is just ‘furious’ not getting the opportunity to pay back those that loaned him the dough… Do you think he’ll launch a full-fledged investigation of this matter?
Report Post »O is taking good care of those rich boys…their good for lots of votes…
CrawfishFestival2
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:46pmProtesters interrupted a speech by General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt in Detroit on Tuesday, chanting President Obama’s oft-repeated mantra: “pay your fair share.”
The whistle-toting “99 percenters” tried to hand Immelt a bill for $26.5 billion — the amount they claim GE owes in back taxes under the 35 percent statutory tax rate.
*****
IT IS ABOUT TIME – OWS went after Obama’s Crony Capitalism scams – to abuse our US taxpayer money creating jobs and stimulating the economy in COMMUNIST China – with Jeffrey Immelt and GE.
btw, GE is the parent company of NBC and MSNBC – the networks that were just exposed – with Obama and The White House and David Brock of Media Matters – writing headlines for them – (as if we did not know this already – from the time of the 2008 presidential campaign….).
An Inconvenient Truth at the time of the False Narrative devised for the Trayvon Martin incident – w NBC altering the 911 call from George Zimmerman – to pretend Trayvon Martin was an innocent teenager who was shot and killed bc of his race – when Trayvon Martin was a young black punk thug – for the reason the MSM still uses the photo of Martin when he was 12-years-old – so that when Martin’s vicious beatdown of George Zimmerman is revealed, Martin’s criminal history and his gangster-tweets – w current photos of Trayvon Martin, Obama could still claim if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin.
Report Post »AFreeManInTexas
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 6:52pmThe Prez means his son would be a gangster!
Report Post »Jerry Frey
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:46pm“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
Report Post »John Adams
http://napoleonlive.info/economics/facts-about-taxes-2/
FORLORNHOPE
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:42pmBig tall Whitey had rhythm and was rocking that chant. lol stuipid chant
Report Post »RabbiDRJerkins
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:26pmI have yet to hear one of these 99%-ers shout out an honest “I received all my taxes back and then some! Why not GE?” – or – “GE paid it’s own bills, and still paid billions in taxes! Wht don’t we?”
Back to reality; with Obama in the office, Romney in the running, the church in collapse and islam on the rise; Occupy idiots are among the least of our worries.
Report Post »bryan305
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:08pmTell them to start with their own. http://nation.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/03/fat-cat-union-salaries-exposed
Report Post »Popp40
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:07pmNoticed how GE kept saying they paid “Global taxes”. GE paid almost $2.7 billion of income taxes to governments around the world during 2010.
I don’t really care about other countries right about now because we need to worry about the income here in the USA. We need to stop paying everyone elses bills and pay our own first….how can one pay someone elses bills when they are broke themselves? However, the USA continues to do this!
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:28pmDrives me nuts.
Report Post »CrawfishFestival2
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 7:16pmMaybe if Obama was not making Pay-offs for control of the media = NBC and MSNBC – during the 2008 presidential campaign,
wherein GE – as the parent company of NBC and MSNBC – received use of our US taxpayer money to close down Two Manufacturing entities in the USA – only to resurrect the same Two Manufacturing entities in Communist China =
Loss of Jobs in the USA – in the abuse of our US Taxpayer money.
GE made $12 BILLION – and paid NO TAXES to the USA.
Report Post »RLNoland
Posted on April 25, 2012 at 8:22pmI do not know GE’s total income, but 2.9 billion is a small number compared to GE’s total world wide income.
Report Post »bulldog62
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:50pmThey are probably mad because GE hired Americans to do jobs in America, and invested alot of money in an American plant, and leaving out the poor people in china and mexico. Anytime somebodyy does something good for the country, these ass clowns have a fit. They want this to be soviet russia, or cuba. Losers.
Report Post »wboehmer
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:02pmNo matter what they say, these occupies don’t represent 99% of anything.
Report Post »bhelmet
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:02pmAnother BLIND one. They closed their American light bulb plants, moved a majority of their medical equipment manufacturing to China, and reaped in major TARP money. But keep telling yourself they are about America, if it allows you to sleep better, but we know the TRUTH.
Report Post »bulldog62
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:13pmI just started there 3 weeks ago, It’s been in the national news for months. I sleep better since I GOT A JOB. I don’t agree with everything they do, but what kind of an idiot would argue bringing jobs back to our country is a bad thing. 1000 new jobs in the last 2 months, 1000 more on the way. Maybe you should do some research before you open your mouth, you sound like the left.
Report Post »Wilsonpd
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:44pmGood for you Bulldog62. You SHOULD stick up for your employer. Sounds like you didn’t have one for awhile. Hope it works out for you. I don’t agree with GE management at all, but if we can shame them or bribe them or bully them into bringing jobs back here then good for us.
Report Post »bulldog62
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 6:09pmYeah, turns out the chinamen make crap, so do the mexicans. They wanted the new products to work. I think it sucks alot of what they do, but if they are willing to make a change that has cost them billions, I can try to work with them. They say they are trying to rebuild their image, they have alot of work to do. some people will never be satisfied though.
Report Post »RLNoland
Posted on April 25, 2012 at 8:53pmYou sir do not have a clue………GE is like GM who are going to open 60 new plants……….in China
Report Post »dont_tax_me_bro
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:31pmThe most corrupt administration in the history of this country, PERIOD!
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 6:58pmNo argument from here.
Report Post »MetalPatriot
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 9:31pmCan we use Obama’s executive detainment order against him & his communist cohorts? Seem like a legitimate “legal” way to get these idiots off our backs.
Report Post »walkintruth
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:30pmDid Obama think the crazy people he created would let GE off the hook for not paying their taxes? Yes they had loop holes so they paid nothing but Obama is not talking about fixing that at all. He just wants the rest of us and the so called super rich to pay more. What that means is we will start with them and then the rest of you will be next. He has exceptions for companies like GE because they contribute money to his campaign.
Report Post »dadsrootbeer
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:21pmAnd now the offspring will eat their parents.
Report Post »Clmsadjman
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:21pmShows you how out of touch this administration is preaching class warfare and having one of the biggest crooks Jeff Imelt at their side A guy shipping jobs to China and using a army of tax lawyers to reduce their tax liability to next to zero. The only thing that administration has in its favor is the fact that most of the people who vote for them while having formal education they are really stupid. And as Ron White says ” You Can’t Fix Stupid”.
Report Post »GardenoftheGods
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:19pmCouldn‘t happen to a better crony of Obama’s! Jobs Czar my foot! GE paid no taxes, just like a number of other corps (Berkshire Hathaway comes to mind) Warren Buffett should be the next fool to get protested. Sounds like some more folks have been woken up… Obama may get a nice surprise in November… a pink slip!
Report Post »aChameleon
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:17pmWatching these people eat themselves is great. I don’t know how much popcorn I can eat though.
Report Post »caleejr
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:16pmare you a Teacher, a Police Officer, a Fire Firghter, have a 401(k) or a pension? Those “EVIL PROFITS” benefited YOUR retirement plan.
Report Post »just sayin’
do I feel they should pay their bill like everyone else? Absolutely. But all sides must be looked at it before the seed of Division begins to take root.
caleejr
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:18pmwow – I can’t spell Fire Fighter…
Report Post »standpat
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:07pmAnyone invested in Wall Street is part of the problem…Invest in yourself, and quit enabling the muli-million CEO’s …
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:14pmGE should pay no taxes at all.
Neither should any other corporation.
Rather, the people who run GE, and other corporations, should be taxed on their fat salaries, and the people who rake in dividends, and realize capital gains, should be taxed on those.
Tax individuals, not impersonal entities!
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:33pmI earn money and it’s taxed. What’s left over after paying for necessities, I invest. If I make a little on the investment, it’s taxed again. How many times does the money I earn have to be taxed before it’s mine?
Report Post »justangry
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:06pmDon’t forget the tax for dying.
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:47pm@MotorCityMadman you left out.. I get paid, taxed, buy food taxed, buy gas taxed, buy home products taxed, buy energy taxed, buy city water taxed, buy NG for heating TAXED. Then what little is left over I invest and TAXED.. then die TAXED..
Report Post »Lloyd Drako
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 7:13pmGonzo: All your income, whether from labor or investment, should be taxed at the same rate. It’s all income. There should be no exemptions or deductions whatsoever. The rates should be progressive–higher or lower as your income rises or falls–but much flatter than at present. Brackets ought to come in steps of 1% or even less, so that income tax would be smoothly graduated, rather than going up or down in leaps and bounds. Surely in this digital age we can manage that? Everyone should pay,even the poorest of the poor, so no one could feign outrage at the “47% who pay no taxes.” To the extent that such a radical revision of the tax code did not enable us to balance the Federal budget, I’d be prepared to see a national sales tax.
Report Post »ProbIemSoIver
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 8:52pmThere should be NO income tax !!!!!
Our Country’s federal government did just fine collecting tariffs on imports.
You pay taxes because of the Bankruptcy of 1933 !!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlCs7u1ihws
“In 1933, Corp. U.S. went bankrupt and the States agreed to support their resolution. In keeping with the bankruptcy, the Corp. U.S. Congress adjusted their Trading with the Enemies Act with their Emergency War Powers Act, which recognized the people of the United States of America are enemies of Corp. U.S.”
http://www.teamlaw.net/history.htm
“Who is running America? Have you ever asked that question?
Report Post »ALL the assets of the American people, their person, and of our country itself are held by the Depository Trust Corporation at 55 Water Street, NY, NY, secured by UCC Commercial Liens, which are then monetized as “debt money” by the Federal Reserve. It may interest you to know that under the umbrella of the Depository Trust Corporation lies the CEDE Corporation, the Federal Reserve Corporation, the American Bar Association, the legal arm of the banking interests, and the Internal Revenue Service, the system’s collection agency.”
The bankruptcy definitely started when Roosevelt came into office. He was sworn in during the month of January 1933. He started right away in the bankruptcy with what is known as ‘The Banking Holiday”
http://www.barefootsworld.net/usfraud.html
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 10:18pm@justangry
Report Post »There is the key to immortality, raise taxes until you can’t afford to die. Then, live forever. or until your body parts can pay off your tax debt. Which ever comes first.
Therightsofbilly
Posted on April 25, 2012 at 12:54amHey LLoyd,
Whattaya know, we can agree on some things. Your first post especially.
Report Post »Therightsofbilly
Posted on April 25, 2012 at 1:00am@LLOYD,
Now if we could only eliminate all those other taxes, and hidden taxes we were talking about previously.
Tax only the individuals, and only with one total tax paid monthly or yearly so that it was plain to see exactly how much you were being taxed on the whole.
And last, you would have to pay it by writing a check for it. No withholding.
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:08pmUp next? Geitner, rangle, waters?
Report Post »lovenfl3
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:19pmWhat ever happened to the Watters case? I’ve heard nothing about it for a long time.
Report Post »infortheride
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:16pmWatters threatened to show up naked. They dropped the charges
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:57pmHer husband/she owns a bank, just like Pelosi…. Both were subsidies with bailout money!
Report Post »blanco5
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:02pmThe white black prez islama and his cronies created these monsters now they have come to get THEM! Hahahahahaha!!!!
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:01pmOh this is way too rich!
Now Obama and GE are beginning to understand the monster they have forged; Obama will either move shortly to dispose of the Occupy bands, unleash them in order to make chaos across the land, or risk having them turn on him and his rich cronies (such as GE) and not be able to stop them.
Obama and Van Jones now face a chimera of their nightmares; may it come home hard upon their heads.
Pleasant nightmares Mr Obama.
Report Post »blackyb
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:11pmThey want Mo Money. They wants it now. Here they is. Feed ‘em, for they are like black birds, they will be back. Ha. Ha. How does it feel. Deal with it, Obbie.
Report Post »Puddle Duck
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 6:42pmThe way I see it Snow is this…..rather than depending upon the TEA party to cause the violence the admin needs to bring the top down (a very unlikely scenario) they hedged thier bets (Jarret and Jones) creating a number of converging false narratives with which to whip up a crisis, the OWS (bowel) movement is merely another arm of both Union activism (mated to traditional Union thuggery) and a sector of the professional activist “corps” that is present in most free market nations (not surprisingly they all lean towards socialism if not outright communism). What is different about this particular time period in history is the alliance that has been forged beteen groups that would not even talk to each other let alone join ranks under the “new” democrat party (led by the inept corruptocrats now holding office in the Admin and key Agencies). Make no mistake GB has been 100% on the money about the “co-opting of the Democratic party as it once was with the far left radicals to transform the nation. This transformation as have all the other attempts at this system has gone badly. The Admin cannot run on it‘s actual record so this false narrative has to be pushed no matter how ridiculous it’s reasoning is on the srface (and underneath). I have a feeling the “useful idiots” are about to be sacrificed in the name of “public safety”….look for the Admin and Justice Dept to lay thier cards on the table then (with full backing from foreign nations, Unions, Enviro whackos, e
Report Post »AFreeManInTexas
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 6:55pmDoctor Frankenbama is created the beast and now they will start to eat their own. So who wins, rich elites or the useful idiots? I’ll put my money on the rich
Report Post »Ghandi was a Republican
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:59pmHow is not paying taxes on lost money a break? With that kind of thinking the 99%-ers are getting a Tax break on Millions (or even Billions) of Dollars.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:58pmI‘ll bet those protester didn’t get clearance for that protest from du Fuhrer He’s going to be pissed.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:02pmHSK – fine, let Obama face the chimera he has created. Its far past time.
Report Post »alcarfl
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:55pmHis latest back door bill allows the SS to fellony arrest anyone protesting a public official (Obama) when the SS is in close, protective mode. Didn’t Hitler have an SS wing?
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:57pmSo… What’s “Fair” in Life?
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:08pm@Lukerw…Conan knows, its called the Riddle of Steel…thats about the only thing I know ‘to be fair’ in life…;-)
Report Post »tryintodoright
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:54pmlove it
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:47pmThat’s rich, being told to pay your fair share by a bunch of college kids who want the taxpayer to pay for their eductaion. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy though.
Report Post »tryintodoright
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:53pmLOL..i love it !! let them hear from the mindless simpletons they’re creating !!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:57pmLOL .. that is great .. they aren’t even “smart” enough to know that they aren’t supposed to “eat their own” … May it continue!
Report Post »AvengerK
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:58pmYeah that one always amuses me..”pay you fair share….except us we want someone else to pay that for us”.
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 3:58pmGONZO, that is really funny especially considering Imelt’s crony position with 0bama that kept GE from paying their “Fair Share.” Somebody needs to tell these turds to no less go out and EARN their fair share.
Report Post »Mark0331
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 4:06pmYet, these morons will still vote for Barry the clown…
Report Post »Popp40
Posted on April 24, 2012 at 5:03pm@GONZO….you hit the nail right on the head!
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