October 28, 2008
Craig Kirchoff of Virginia Second, Lori Harfenist of New York Third; Winning Videos Highlight America's High Business Taxes and It's Impact on Jobs, Wages and Productivity
Washington, DC, October 28, 2008 - Declaring that the "Corporate Tax Must Come Down," Andrew Patterson of Edmond, Oklahoma won the first prize of $5,000 in the Tax Foundation's CompeteUSA YouTube Contest with a video called "Tax Attack." The contest was part of the CompeteUSA campaign which aims at raising awareness of America's high business tax rates and how those taxes have an impact on our competitiveness, wages, and living standards.
In "Tax Attack," Patterson highlights that businesses make everyday decisions based on corporate tax systems and that our high business taxes are making American corporations look internationally for their offices, banking, labor and operations. Patterson, who lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, is a business owner himself, providing film and postproduction services to companies including retailers, business firms, nonprofit organizations and natural gas companies.
The second prize of $1,000 was awarded to Craig Kirchoff of Alexandria, VA, an editor and web producer at National Media, for his video called "Sally, the Corporate Income Tax and You." The third prize of $500 was given to Lori Harfenist of Brooklyn, NY, a host of "The Resident" for TV and for the Web, and content producer for stations including NBC, Turner Broadcasting, CNN, FOXNews, and DIRECTV. Lori created a video called "Taxes, Schmaxes."
The videos can be seen online at http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/23846.html.
The CompeteUSA campaign comes on the heels of data showing that America has the second-highest corporate income tax rate in the industrialized world, and that the American worker shoulders a disproportionate amount of the corporate tax. As a result of the America standing still while nine key trading partners cut their corporate tax rates last year, our corporate tax rate is now 50% higher than the OECD average.
"In a Presidential election year where the economy is the number one issue, we've enlisted the help of America's next generation to make their voices heard about our business tax system," noted Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge. "I congratulate Andrew, Craig and Lori for their creativity in spreading the message that corporate tax reform is necessary for the United States to continue to compete in a global marketplace."
The Tax Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that has monitored fiscal policy at the federal, state and local levels since 1937.
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To schedule an interview, please contact Matt Moon, the Tax Foundation's Manager of Media Relations, at (202) 464-5102.