Cayman Islands Subsidiary Allows Pentagon
Contractor Assisting War In Iraq To Avoid Millions In Taxes

post from Think Progress on 08 May 2008 03:11:00 PM. © Think Progress

The Boston Globe recently revealed that two Defense Department contractors operating in Iraq — KBR and MPRI — have avoided paying hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Social Security and Medicare taxes by hiring its employees through “shell companies” based in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

Today, the AP reveals a third contractor assisting the U.S. military’s mission in Iraq that is also dodging Social Security and Medicare taxes. Immediately after winning a DoD contract worth more than $2 billion nearly ten years ago, Combat Support Associates established CSA Ltd. in the Cayman Islands allowing it to avoid paying the taxes and evade scrutiny from the U.S. government:

The subsidiary, CSA Ltd., now employs about 2,000 American citizens in Kuwait, where they support U.S. forces moving in and out of Iraq. Yet as a foreign corporation doing work outside the United States, CSA Ltd. does not pay Social Security and Medicare taxes for these workers.

In fact, according to the AP, “company officials” have acknowledged their immunity from U.S. law, noting that CSA Ltd. “is outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, so federal labor rules and anti-discrimination laws don?t apply either.” Indeed, the Globe noted that because of such practices, “workers cannot receive unemployment compensation when their jobs end and may be deprived of other protections under US law.”

But Congress has taken notice of these contractors’ unethical practices. The House passed a bill last month — despite Republican opposition — to “stop federal contractors from using foreign subsidiaries to evade Social Security and other employment taxes.”

In the meantime, companies such as KBR, MPRI and CSA Ltd. continue to avoid paying millions in taxes:

The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates shutting the employment tax loophole would bring in about $846 million in revenue over 10 years. That figure could be higher, lawmakers say, since it?s unclear how widespread use of the opening is.

Indeed, assuming that the American employees of CSA Ltd. make only $30,000 per year (online job ads place salaries much higher), the company would still “owe about $4.6 million in employment taxes.”

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http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/08/cayman-islands-subsidiary-allows-pentagon-con
tractor-assisting-war-in-iraq-to-avoid-millions-in-taxes/

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Fat Lady Dress Rehearsal Report

post from American Street on 08 May 2008 03:01:00 PM. © American Street

Clinton vows to stay in race “until there’s a nominee.”Which apparently will be in about two weeks.“Not long after the polls close in the May 20 Kentucky and Oregon primaries, Barack Obama plans to declare victory in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. “And, until at least May 31 and perhaps longer, Hillary [...]

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http://www.reachm.com/amstreet/archives/2008/05/08/fat-lady-dress-rehearsal-repor
t/

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More and more SuperDs for Obama

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 08 May 2008 02:57:00 PM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

This is getting more and more pathetic.

Since Tuesday's primaries, Obama has gained six superdelegates while Clinton has picked up one. But Clinton also lost a superdelegate Wednesday ? DNC member Jennifer McClellan switched her support to Obama ? for a net gain of zero.

So, just me, or does anyone else keep having these lyrics go through their head?

Her name is Lola, she was a showgirl.
But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show.
Now it's a disco, but not for Lola.
Still in the dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair.
She sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind.
She lost her youth and she lost her Tony.
Now she's lost her mind!

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Americablog/~3/286411616/more-and-more-superds-for
-obama.html

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Media War: The Power Of The Press...is Profit

post from Docudharma - Front Page on 08 May 2008 02:56:25 PM. © Docudharma - Front Page

Forgive them Father for they know not what they don't.They don't report the news that matters, they report the news that sells.Kagan Research, the media research firm, projected that the four cable news channels would earn $699 million in pre-tax profits[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Docudharma/~3/286279401/showDiary.do

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Judge: Turn Over Torture Evidence

post from Talking Points Memo on 08 May 2008 02:55:00 PM. © Talking Points Memo

Things not going so well for the prosecution in one of the Gitmo trials:A military judge in the trial of Canadian captive Omar Khadr threatened Thursday to suspend the terror trial unless the prison camp releases a detailed log of Khadr's treatment in[...]

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Daniel "Sukie" Nartey Comes of Age

post from :: Dogonland :: Blog on 08 May 2008 02:51:46 PM. © :: Dogonland :: Blog

A 2008 Tribeca Film Festival Official Selection is Disruptive Element's documentary, Zoned[...]

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http://www.dogonland.com/posts/view/daniel_sukie_nartey_comes_of_age.html

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PORN RULES ALL.

post from Ezra Klein on 08 May 2008 02:51:00 PM. © Ezra Klein

At least on the internets:Today, YouPorn is the No. 1 adult site in the world; Vivid.com, a pay site, is ranked 5,061. According to Alexa, a website-ranking company, YouPorn?s overall rank is higher than CNN.com (84), About.com (114), and Weather.com[...]

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http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=05&year=2008&base_name
=porn_rules_all

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Hillary top aides still threatening to take race
to the convention in August

post from AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth on 08 May 2008 02:45:00 PM. © AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

One of her top aides said this only 3 days ago. She's not going away. How many times does she have to tell our congressional leadership, the DNC, and the SuperDelegates that SHE IS NOT GOING AWAY before you people get it?

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hreatening-to.html

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Another Republican Down the Drain

The other day Republican congressman Vito Fossella, the only Republican in New York City?s delegation, was picked up on a DUI charge in Virginia. Then things went from bad to career-ending.

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http://www.outrageradio.com/index.php?/weblog/entry/another_republican_down_the_d
rain/

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Clinton, Obama Perform Statistically the Same
Among Jewish Voters

According to new polling from Gallup, American Jewish voters, who have tended to overwhelmingly support Democrats in elections going back at least about a century, are no more likely to defect from the Democratic ranks should Barack Obama be the party's[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/mydd/~3/286233389/6563

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