NBC "The Ed Show" - Transcript - Tax Code for Corporations

Interview

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SCHULTZ: Joining me now is Congressman Keith Ellison of Minnesota.
Congressman, good to have you with us tonight.

How long --

REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: Good to be with you.

SCHULTZ: You bet.

How long are the Republicans going to protect the corporations and the tax code? It seems like the Republicans are just a flat out protectionary organization for consideration corporations that think they've hired so many people they shouldn`t paying any taxes at all. Your thoughts?

ELLISON: Well, they're going to do it as long as the American people don`t hold him accountable. But I think Americans all over this country are really started to get animated. You know, two thirds of all American corporations don`t pay me any taxes. Apple is fight for the right to not pay taxes. But also, add G.E. to list and Boeing and Bank of America. There`s a lot.

I mean, for the small business out there, the one third they do pay, I mean, they`re shouldering the burden for the rest of the corporate sector. It`s not fair to them. If you`re a coffee shop or you`re a small manufacturing business, you may have to pay all of your taxes because you don`t have a lobbyist to get out of them like Apple and some of the other ones do.

SCHULTZ: We have the Republicans on Capitol Hill, Rand Paul, apologizing
to a corporation just because they have a lot of employees and have some
success. As if they want to rewrite the tax code even further in their
favor.

Here`s what Senator Carl Levin had to say after Rand Paul said Congress
should be apologizing to Apple.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: The subcommittee is investigating the tax code that is not working for the American people, is not working for businesses in this country, where some businesses decide how many taxes they`re going to pay, how many they won`t, what they`re going to leave offshore in terms of profits, cooking up all kinds of arrangements to avoid paying taxes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHULTZ: Congressman, what`s your response to that.

ELLISON: Well, my -- I -- it kind of reminds me of when Joe Biden
apologized to BP after they ruined the Gulf with their oil. I mean, all
this stuff about apologizing to corporations don`t do things that are in
the best interest of the American people is kind of a trend with my friends
on the other side of the aisle.

I mean, but you know what? The American people got to point out to them.
You know, taxes are not a punishment. Taxes are the dues we pay to live in
a civilized society. You want to make sure that we have decent
infrastructure -- oh, by the way, we had had a bridge fall just the other
day.

You know, there`s going to have to be some taxes paid and it should be
fair. And companies like Apple and G.E. and all the rest of them should
pay their fair share.

You know, a lot of these folks say, oh, we have the highest corporate tax
rate in the world.

No, we don`t. We have an effective corporate tax rate that is actually
pretty low. Nobody pays all those taxes.

But you know what? We need to have more people, more corporations paying
their fair share so that working people and middle class people don`t have
to pay as much.

SCHULTZ: So, the Republicans are saying that we are vilifying Apple, we`re
vilifying anybody who questions this is after capitalism, is after success,
and we should appease them because they`ve had so much success.
Bottom line here is, as what Senator Levin said, our tax code isn`t
working. Our treasury is short.

ELLISON: Of course not.

SCHULTZ: Fair share in the minds of the American people.

This is the lift of Congress right now at least on the Democratic side to
exemplify, give an example of what fairness is and move the public to
forcing politicians to change the tax code. Will it happen?

ELLISON: Well, you know, Ed, you know, at a time when we are cutting Meals
on Wheels, we`re cutting Head Start.

SCHULTZ: Exactly.

ELLISION: We`re cutting basic medical research. It seems to me only fair
that Apple would step up and help fund the country that has made it
possible for them to be successful in the first place.

Apple wouldn`t be a multibillion dollar corporation but for the fact that
the United States of America made it possible for them to be that
successful. It seems to me they ought to want to help to pay the expenses
of this country so that everybody can have a fair shot. I think it`s
really disappointing that they don`t.

SCHULTZ: There`s a moral equation here. I mean, what`s morally right to
massage the tax code through supporting politicians who are going to have
our back or to do your fair share on the country that has given you the
opportunity to be so successful. I don`t think they`ve got --

(CROSSTALK)

ELLISON: Fair share.

SCHULTZ: I really don`t.
Congressman, Keith Ellison, great to have you with us tonight. I
appreciate it so much.

ELLISON: Thank you.

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