Business & Tech
Protesters Rally Outside LITH Bank on Tax Day
Picketers say it's unfair that Bank of America paid no federal income tax in 2010.
Jack Scully was one of dozens of protesters Monday afternoon to protest outside in Lake in the Hills.
Bank of America is part of a national chain of lending institutions that paid no income tax in 2010.
“Our system is corrupt,” Scully said. “Have you seen that list of big corporations that are paying no income tax?
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"You cannot trust anybody. Big business is financing political campaigns. Politicians pass tax laws with a lot of loopholes that favor big business. We have to regain control. We've got to make it about us, the people, and not about the big corporations and the politicians. They stick us with all their bills.”
Scully, of Elgin, said he owns a finance company and is a builder of energy-efficient homes. His business slowed with the economy.
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A liberal advocacy group called MoveOn.org is making Bank of America the target of a protest campaign on unfair tax policies, according to the MoveOn.org website.
A corporate official said Bank of America did not pay taxes in 2010.
“Income tax is based on income,” said Diane Wagner, a spokeswoman for Bank of America. “And in 2010, we reported a loss. However, last year we still paid more than $2 billion in state and local taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes and other taxes. … We take our responsibility as a corporate citizen seriously and we pay the taxes we owe.”
She added that the government bailout money Bank of America received from the Obama administration had been paid back with interest.