Every week, North Star will take some time out of our schedules to bring you our favorite reads from the past week.
Jeff Van Wychen
The Real Welfare Cheats
According to a new Oxfam report, governments around the world lose $100 billion every year because multinational corporations hide profits in overseas tax havens. Corporate income taxes have declined from one-third of the U.S. federal budget in 1952 to less than one-tenth today. Citing the Oxfam report, Nicholas Christof of the New York Times notes that “for each dollar America’s 50 biggest companies paid in federal taxes between 2008 and 2014, they received $27 back in federal loans, loan guarantees and bailouts.” How do multinationals get away with this? According to Christof, “The tax system is rigged against us precisely because taxation is the Least Sexy Topic on Earth. So we doze, and our pockets get picked.”
Stephanie Fenner
Many Grouchy, Error-Prone Workers Just Need More Sleep
NPR writes that one-third of Americans are sleep-deprived. The article notes that their employers are probably paying for it “in the form of mistakes, productivity loss, accidents and increased health insurance costs.” Sleep psychologist William David Brown says Americans are sacrificing more and more sleep every year, and the effects of fatigue are cumulative. A possible solution I can get behind? More naps.
