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MEMBERS SHOW STRENGTH IN NUMBERS ON NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION TO FIGHT TAX FRAUD
APRIL 15, 2019
On April 15, 2019, (Tax Day) the Keystone + Mountain + Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters took part in a national effort by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America to host a series of events bringing attention to the serious issues surrounding tax fraud in the United States. Our Council hosted nine staging locations for informational rallies. These rallies were attended by over 1,800 KML carpenters, UBC Executive Board members, including General Vice President Frank Spencer and General Secretary-Treasurer Michael Capelli, and over one hundred elected and governmental of cials from our region, including Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and many more.
Corrupt contractors commit tax fraud by deliberately misclassifying workers as independent contractors and hiring labor brokers to circumvent standard labor practices. Other issues include not paying a prevailing wage or overtime standards, laundering money, paying workers in cash, and dodging taxes and not having proper workmen's compensation in place. These unfair tactics allow these bad actors to underbid law-abiding contractors while not paying their fair share of taxes to the local, state, and federal treasuries. It's estimated, nationwide, that 65 to 70 billion dollars of construction wages go unreported every year. That's billion with a "B". That's roughly 30 billion dollars in stolen tax revenue that could have been used to support rst responders, seniors, military veterans, etc. It could also be used to create jobs by fully funding school and infrastructure projects.
Decades of lax rules and lack of enforcement has given
unscrupulous contractors the green light to commit fraud. This year's National Day of Action was the UBC's rst collective step to raise awareness around this issue. At each of the rallies, we called upon legislators and state authorities to enforce the laws and stop the tax cheats from taking advantage of their fellow Americans.
Executive Secretary-Treasurer William Sproule said at the Trenton, New Jersey rally, "That is a direct attack on the hard-working men and women of this country who are looking to make an honest living and support their families." He went on to say that, "For far too long, there have been corrupt and greedy contractors who game the system for their bene t while hurting everyone else in the process. These employers have gone apparently unchecked as they commit tax fraud to avoid withholding income taxes, paying employment taxes, overtime, and workers' compensation premiums."
Our commitment to assisting federal and state enforcement agencies in holding these contractors and labor brokers accountable is a top priority. In addition to building strong cases against tax cheats, we will be calling attention to tax fraud on job sites wherever it's happening. Our "Worker Exploitation Investigation Unit" and "Payroll Tax Fraud Unit" vehicles will be everywhere cheating contractors are breaking the law. We will continue to show support for the individuals who are being taken advantage of by continuing to organize, agitate, and educate.
Please continue to help us spread the word about this issue to your friends and family. Sign up for website updates and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and SnapChat. Together we can make a difference and stop tax fraud.
TAKE ACTION
VISIT WWW.STOPTAXFRAUDNOW.COM AND SEND A LETTER TO YOUR STATE’S AG TO ENFORCE THE LAWS ON THE BOOKS!
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