More

Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors
Sen. Claire McCaskill

Sen. Claire McCaskill

GET UPDATES FROM Sen. Claire McCaskill
 

Ending Taxpayer Subsidies for Big Oil

Posted: 05/12/11 02:13 PM ET

You and your fellow Americans have seen what it's like to pay oil companies more than $4 per gallon at the pump this spring.

But imagine paying them another $2,000,000,000 on top of those sky-high pump prices. What would that be like?

You actually know what that's like too, because that's the amount taxpayers subsidize Big Oil every year. It's outrageous, and it hurts people. And I'm determined to do something about it.

This week, I helped introduce the Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act in the Senate, which will take away $2 billion in annual subsidies American taxpayers hand to the most profitable corporations in the world -- the big oil companies.

The top five multi-national oil companies don't need that money. Over the last 10 years, they've raked in nearly $1 trillion in profits. They've broken their own records for the most profitable quarter in economic history several times over.

We're going to face a lot of resistance when we try to take a few billion dollars in free taxpayer money away from them. That kind of money buys a lot of power in Washington, and Big Oil will do everything it can to keep its outrageous taxpayer subsidies.

We need to shine a light on them. Even the most bought-and-paid-for legislators know they need some protection from the public eye if they're going to stop a bill this popular.

Help build citizen support for taking away oil company subsidies and shine a light on the legislators hoping to stop it in secret -- sign my petition today.

The oil companies say eliminating their subsidies will impact prices, which is a disingenuous distraction. Just check the sign at your local gas station to see if these subsidies are keeping your gas cheap -- maybe that money goes toward padding the wallets of oil company executives and stockholders instead.

We need to stop throwing our money away on these subsidies to giant oil companies, especially at a time when they're gouging us at the pump and we need every penny we can get to reduce the deficit and thereby preserve important programs.

As we push to address our national deficit this year, there are going to be a lot of tough decisions about how to close gaps wherever we can. Taxpayer-funded handouts to oil companies should be one of the easiest decisions we make.

Sign my petition for taking away oil companies' taxpayer subsidies today.

 
You and your fellow Americans have seen what it's like to pay oil companies more than $4 per gallon at the pump this spring. But imagine paying them another $2,000,000,000 on top of those sky-high p...
You and your fellow Americans have seen what it's like to pay oil companies more than $4 per gallon at the pump this spring. But imagine paying them another $2,000,000,000 on top of those sky-high p...
 
 
  • Comments
  • 136
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Favorites
Bloggers
Recency  | 
Popularity
Page: 1 2 3 4  Next ›  Last »  (4 total)
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cschoenen
"Evil conquers when good men do nothing"
01:51 PM on 05/17/2011
I am confused.....how do you call it "subsidies"? From my understanding, Oil companies get a tax break for having to pay foreign taxes to other countries and the domestic manufacturers deduction is an across the board tax credit enjoyed by, as the name may suggest, all domestic manufacturers. Everything from Hollywood studios to the New York Times, from Coca-Cola to Microsoft, receives the tax credit. In fact, every other industry is eligible for a 9 percent deduction, but because of a prior political smear campaign, oil and natural gas companies only receive a 6 percent deduction.

How are these "tax payer" funded subsidies? Are we re-wording things to make it sound like the "big bad wolf". I am definitley not for oil companies and I hate the gas prices but if we're going to start attacking one company then are we going to take this away from all other companies as well?
photo
Soulsurfer
Solar Electrician,Longtime Surfin'Fool
12:15 PM on 05/13/2011
If anyone caught the hearings on this bill on CSPAN the other day, you'll know what we're up against; repub reps lined up to hear testimony from oil execs who up front threatened to stop drilling in the US if we withdrew their subsidies. And they hammered on the obvious fact that eliminating their government support would not reduce the price of gas at the pump...........duh. What happened to the "Free Market" rhetoric they like to spout when we want to regulate the way they drill and protect our lands? I've heard it said many times that you can't have it both ways, but the oil companies can, and do.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cschoenen
"Evil conquers when good men do nothing"
01:53 PM on 05/17/2011
So you think its fair that a company should have to pay a tax in a foreign land then come over here and pay yet another tax in the U.S. and to top it off those tax breaks are the same tax breaks that companies like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Ford, GMC use also...so are you going to take that away from those companies also?
photo
Greyfox01
My shoe knows more than they do.
11:59 AM on 05/13/2011
Okey, the Oil Slicks party while the rest of us struggle to pay their bills. But we really need to turn the page, it's not just the Oil Slicks that are getting a free lunch. There is an endless list of corporate fat cats that the America people buy lunch for everyday.

One way take them out of our budget plan is to stop buying their "Made in China" imports.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/

Someone said that yesterday that a shirt made in American could costs one hundred dollars. Really.

http://www.americansworking.com/
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Jesse Wright
11:51 AM on 05/13/2011
Government gives Big Oil $2B - Big Oil in turn gives money to lobbyists - lobbyists in turn pay off politicians to give Big Oil reduced regulations - politicians work for the government - ah, the circle of life!! How can't this look any clearer. Big Oil (BP) basically decimated Louisiana last year after the worst oil spill in history, and Louisiana's still fighting for them...
Oginikwe
I think therefore I'm dangerous
11:43 AM on 05/13/2011
Since our country and economy is so dependent upon oil and, with the help of the oil lobbyists and public relations firms, that doesn't seem to be slowing down any, the oil industry should be nationalized. They are putting our country and national security at great risk.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Demitasse
Ars longa, vita brevis
11:07 AM on 05/13/2011
"But imagine paying them another $2,000,000,000 on top of those sky-high pump prices."

I don't think $2 billion covers it. There's our military in the Middle East, who wouldn't be there if not for the oil. And then there's the cost to the environment, incalculable if CO2 levels aren't brought down. And there are health related costs from pollution.
10:53 AM on 05/13/2011
A few weeks back, Eric Holder made a few comments about the oil market and prices collapsed by about 20 bucks in a few weeks time. Could the US Senate or the DOJ make a few comments about loan servicing abuse and fraud. Maybe, just maybe, all the games being played with the homes of many Americans will stop. Paying $1 dollar more is a strain on the wallet....receiving a default notice because you dont have insurance on the home (when you do) is a strain on the entire body.
10:47 AM on 05/13/2011
NATIONALIZE THE OIL COMPANIES - a la Venezuela !!

BIG PROFITS SHOULD GO TO THE GOVERNMENT !!

WE ARE IN DEBT - REMEMBER ???
12:13 PM on 05/13/2011
...and Venezuela is a nightmare. Why would we want that for America?
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
DarkandStormyNight
My hoodie keeps me warm!
10:46 AM on 05/13/2011
Ok. Maybe I'm putting my neck out here to get st-ompped on, but these companies are global, right?So, we're subsidizing global companies to do...what?
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
11:00 AM on 05/13/2011
Rip us off and pollute our waters.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
DarkandStormyNight
My hoodie keeps me warm!
11:45 AM on 05/13/2011
Just what I thought. Thank you.
10:43 AM on 05/13/2011
The argument from BIG OIL is like a comedy show - who do they think they are kidding ??
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Badfinger1
...reconstruction has failed...
10:37 AM on 05/13/2011
....We play giant geopolitics over it.
..We prop up Despots and tyrants over it.
...We defend nations that have it. We fight wars over it.
...It is either a matter of national security or it is not......
photo
janeInCA
War is Not Civil
10:23 AM on 05/13/2011
Sen. McCaskill, thanks for introducing the bill. Please continue with introducing Tobin tax, taxing all transactions to other currencies, taxing those who hide profits made from this country to somewhere else, instead of putting back and building the country for the next generation.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Theresa Allen
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
09:45 AM on 05/13/2011
I really don't understand why big oil feel that they don't have to pay there fareshare in taxes. When we all know that they are maken lots of money for their CEO's and there shareholders also. Why is it only the poor and middle class have to pay forever thing. The big oil companies think that if pay fareshare because they can't find more oil. That is out and out lie. They have lots money to do others things such solar and wind and etc. WE don't even have dig for oil off the shores of east cost and in the gulf of mexico or in Alaska either.
They like driving up the cost and stop the jobs movement because they don't like this President and what he stands up and they want him to loss. So, this is away to rid of middle class and get rid of this President too.
09:19 AM on 05/13/2011
More than 50% of U.S. corporations do not pay taxes according to a study a couple years ago. Tlhe problem is that if you get all your news from the right wing media, you will never be informed of this fact.
10:50 AM on 05/13/2011
we are aware of g.e.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
dkrypt
Unencumbered by political correctness
08:44 AM on 05/13/2011
That's great. Now introduce 999 more bills which either cut spending or increase taxes in this same amount (2B), and in a mere . . . 35 years or so we'll eliminate the national debt.

That assumes that oil companies won't take their revenue to other countries which are willing to give them subsidies in exchange for tax revenue and oil industry jobs. No guarantees on that one.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
lawdini
My other micro-bio is a Cadillac.
10:27 AM on 05/13/2011
Stick to trying to defund Planned Parenthood and NPR. That will save lots of money too.
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
dkrypt
Unencumbered by political correctness
01:11 PM on 05/13/2011
I'm for defunding everything equally.

I'm for government sponsored abortion.

I'm for harvesting stem cells from government sponsored abortions.