Bernie Sanders introduces the BEZOS Act slamming Amazon low wages
This is interesting and bound to create great interesting questions: How far should a corporation go in tax arrangements? What of companies paying above industry rates? What about struggling business that can't truly pay the living wage without going under? Ship out? Regards, Boniface -----Original Message----- From: "WANGARI KABIRU via kictanet" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: 9/7/2018 10:36 PM To: "machukib@gmail.com" <machukib@gmail.com> Cc: "WANGARI KABIRU" <wangarikabiru@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: [kictanet] Bernie Sanders introduces the BEZOS Act slamming Amazonlow wages https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/05/bernie-sanders-introduces-the-bezos-act-slam... "Sen. Bernie Sanders' criticism of Amazon peaked Wednesday as he and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced legislation to tax corporations for every dollar that their low-wage workers receive in government health-care benefits or food stamps. The bill, pointedly called the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies, or BEZOS, Act, is aimed at shaming companies like Amazonand Walmart, whose workers rely on public assistance. For months, Sanders has targeted Amazon, juxtaposing the wealth of CEO Jeff Bezos with reports that Amazon warehouse workers are paid less than industry averages and rely on food stamps. Bezos is the richest man in the world, with a net worth of more than $168 billion. "Our legislation gives large, profitable employers a choice: Pay workers a living wage or pay for the public assistance programs their low-wage employees are forced to depend upon," Sanders said of the proposed law. For example, if an Amazon worker received $2,000 in food stamps, Amazon would be taxed $2,000 to cover that cost. Amazon has previously called the Vermont independent's claims about working conditions in its fulfillment centers "inaccurate and misleading" and a spokesperson declined to further comment on the bill." Be blessed. Regards/Wangari
This is an interesting development. No matter how you cut it, its becoming increasingly important that Corporations become good citizens. How do we define a Good Corporate Citizen? That in my opinion is still very fluid and will define corporate behaviour going forward. For now unfortunately for Amazon this will be defined by the court of public opinion and although the jury is still not in things are not looking very good for Amazon. *Ali Hussein* *Principal* *AHK & Associates* Tel: +254 713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim> 13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing, Chiromo Road, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with. On Fri, Sep 7, 2018 at 10:36 PM WANGARI KABIRU via kictanet < kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/05/bernie-sanders-introduces-the-bezos-act-slam...
"Sen. Bernie Sanders' criticism of Amazon <https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/29/amazon-bernie-sanders-claims-are-inaccurate-and-misleading.html> peaked Wednesday as he and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced legislation <https://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/stop-bezos-act-2018?id=C2E88AC5-C629-4680-8F8D-9EE74F343560&download=1&inline=file> to tax corporations for every dollar that their low-wage workers receive in government health-care benefits or food stamps.
The bill, pointedly called the Stop Bad Employers by Zeroing Out Subsidies, or BEZOS, Act, is aimed at shaming companies like Amazon <https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=AMZN>and Walmart <https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=WMT>, whose workers rely on public assistance.
For months, Sanders has targeted Amazon, juxtaposing the wealth of CEO Jeff Bezos with reports <https://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/get-billionaires-off-welfare-remarks?inline=file> that Amazon warehouse workers are paid less than industry averages and rely on food stamps.
Bezos is the richest man in the world, with a net worth of more than $168 billion <https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/04/heres-what-it-will-take-for-bezos-to-become-the-first-trillionaire.html> .
"Our legislation gives large, profitable employers a choice: Pay workers a living wage or pay for the public assistance programs their low-wage employees are forced to depend upon," Sanders said of the proposed law. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttT5zXq3DgI>
For example, if an Amazon worker received $2,000 in food stamps, Amazon would be taxed $2,000 to cover that cost.
Amazon has previously called the Vermont independent's claims about working conditions in its fulfillment centers "inaccurate and misleading <https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/29/amazon-bernie-sanders-claims-are-inaccurate-and-misleading.html>" and a spokesperson declined to further comment on the bill."
Be blessed.
Regards/Wangari
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participants (3)
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Ali Hussein -
Boniface Machuki -
WANGARI KABIRU