Why Do The "Progressives" Keep Arguing That "Big Oil" Get Subsidies?

Patranus

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2007
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0
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Why do the "progressives" keep saying that oil companies get subsidies?
A subsidy is a direct payment from the government.
That isn't what oil companies get.

Oil companies get tax breaks (write offs) which are available to any other company.
They are not subsidies and are not limited to oil companies.

Such write offs include 6% deduction of profits for domestic manufacturing.
Other sectors get up to 9%.

The only major write off targeted directly at oil companies is the ability to write off 70% of exploration costs and this has been around since 1913.

It really is nothing more than a transparent attempt to pin their failed energy policy on someone else like a typical "progressive". Gotta blame someone else, can't ever take personal responsibility.
 

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Lifer
Jun 3, 2002
10,518
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It's a subsidy unless you're demonstrably handicapped and can't comprehend the meaning of, um, words.
 

fskimospy

Elite Member
Mar 10, 2006
86,673
52,478
136
Hey look, it's the guy who doesn't know how the vice president is elected, here to lecture us about government policy.

Everyone gather 'round! This is sure to be enlightening.
 

matt0611

Golden Member
Oct 22, 2010
1,879
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Because oil companies are making profit, and profit is evil, duh.

Everything that the government doesn't tax is a subsidy to progressives. After all, the government owns all of our individual income and all private profits.
Anything they let us keep is a gift.
 
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Anarchist420

Diamond Member
Feb 13, 2010
8,645
0
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www.facebook.com
Deductions aren't subsidies, but not paying tax and getting rebates back from the gvoernment is a subsidy. However, the oil companies pay corporate tax rather than get tax dollars and they make less than the government does off of oil.
 

ShawnD1

Lifer
May 24, 2003
15,987
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Oil companies are subsidized ("having partial financial support from public funds") by way of tax breaks, are they not?
Basically every company does. The subsidies are to encourage certain behaviors. It could be anything from exploring for oil and helping the local economy to giving extra tax breaks when a company hires students, old people, and handicapped people.

I don't have a problem with subsidies in general. It depends what is being subsidized.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
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What's more concerning is that the logic of the extreme left is even entertained at all. Think of how much that is costing us all.

Taking pictures of kids lunches before and after they eat to cite just one absolutely insane example.
 

senseamp

Lifer
Feb 5, 2006
35,787
6,197
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Why do the "progressives" keep saying that oil companies get subsidies?
A subsidy is a direct payment from the government.
That isn't what oil companies get.

Oil companies get tax breaks (write offs) which are available to any other company.
They are not subsidies and are not limited to oil companies.

Such write offs include 6% deduction of profits for domestic manufacturing.
Other sectors get up to 9%.

The only major write off targeted directly at oil companies is the ability to write off 70% of exploration costs and this has been around since 1913.

It really is nothing more than a transparent attempt to pin their failed energy policy on someone else like a typical "progressive". Gotta blame someone else, can't ever take personal responsibility.

Of course it's a subsidy.
 

PokerGuy

Lifer
Jul 2, 2005
13,650
201
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The usual left wing drivel. When the screw things up so badly the people start noticing, they quickly find someone else to blame. Pin the blame on the evil oil companies... yeah, that's it!
 

yllus

Elite Member & Lifer
Aug 20, 2000
20,577
432
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So do you, why arent liberals protesting your tax subsidy?

Oil companies are a monolithic and easily demonized target, I guess? Also, while my own company has enjoyed record profits this year (not hard as I'm six months in), I don't have quite the margins the oil industry does.

Personally I'd be in favour of starting a long process of removing "subsidies" altogether. Aside from the principle of fairness, it's obvious that government is patently awful at picking winners - it has no business subsidizing individual corporations or industries. Instead, spread those savings around to everyone by lowering the corporate income tax and let the market determine what wins and what loses.

Getting back to the original post: It's still wrong. They're not subsidies, but they are subsidized. You have to be pretty soft in the head to argue that the difference actually matters.
 

SparkyJJO

Lifer
May 16, 2002
13,357
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Because oil companies are making profit, and profit is evil, duh.

What's even more ironic is how the oil companies get around 7 cents or so for every gallon of gas sold, but the US government gets north of 20 cents per gallon o_O
 
Nov 30, 2006
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Reid says repealing these "subsidies" will be the first step in helping bring down "exorbitant gas prices”...hahahaha.
 

matt0611

Golden Member
Oct 22, 2010
1,879
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Reid says repealing these "subsidies" will be the first step in helping bring down "exorbitant gas prices”...hahahaha.

LMAO wtf? Our leaders don't even have a clue about economics.

I like Senator Rand Paul's idea: Stop sending money over-seas to third-world dictators for a few months and give Americans a federal gas tax holiday for the summer. Gas prices would be 18 cents lower.
 

spacejamz

Lifer
Mar 31, 2003
10,908
1,558
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What's even more ironic is how the oil companies get around 7 cents or so for every gallon of gas sold, but the US government gets north of 20 cents per gallon o_O

I really wonder why this little tidbit of information does not get more press much less a rational response from the left around here...
 

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
4
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My question is where is the clamoring for the "Windfall" Tax? Not a friggin word about it since BHO has been in office. NOT ONE FRIGGIN WORD from those liberal hypocrites.
 
Nov 30, 2006
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LMAO wtf? Our leaders don't even have a clue about economics.

I like Senator Rand Paul's idea: Stop sending money over-seas to third-world dictators for a few months and give Americans a federal gas tax holiday for the summer. Gas prices would be 18 cents lower.
It's obvious that this isn't really about lower gas prices...they could care less. But this kind of horseshit does play well in the campaign ads.
 

CPA

Elite Member
Nov 19, 2001
30,322
4
0
What's even more ironic is how the oil companies get around 7 cents or so for every gallon of gas sold, but the US government gets north of 20 cents per gallon o_O

Even more ironic is that the Democrat held Senate defeated a bill to eliminate $20B worth of oil tax subsidies/exemptions/deductions -whatever you want to call them - yesterday. LOL.
 

ayabe

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2005
7,449
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LMAO wtf? Our leaders don't even have a clue about economics.

I like Senator Rand Paul's idea: Stop sending money over-seas to third-world dictators for a few months and give Americans a federal gas tax holiday for the summer. Gas prices would be 18 cents lower.

No surprise, his ideas are neatly packaged for easy digestion by rubes.

What about second world dictators? What about first world democracies? 18 cents means dick if it poisons our relationships. Surely our aid to Israel would be on that list....right?

Yeah, probably not.

Stupid, oversimplified answers to complex questions - the MO of the liberteatards.