Koch Brothers at Work: New TV Ad Connects Money In Colorado Politics, Tax Breaks for Job Outsourcing

DENVER – A TV advertisement airing today points out the connection between Cory Gardner and the Koch Brothers, including Koch -funded special interest groups that have spent millions of dollars to obtain tax breaks for companies that ship good American jobs overseas.

The ad takes Gardner to task for voting for policies that encourage companies to outsource American jobs. The ad also points out that the Koch Brothers have rejected climate change science, a position which helps protect the billions of dollars they have made off of their oil company holdings. Viewers can see the ad and learn more about the Koch Brothers’ connection to Cory Gardner by visiting www.coloradofairshare.org.

Colorado Fair Share has worked for years to remove big money from politics, and has stepped up its work since the controversial U.S. Supreme Court Citizens United decision. The group in 2012 helped spearhead a petition signature drive to qualify Amendment 65 for the statewide ballot. Voters approved the amendment, which called upon Congress to overturn Citizens United, with 74 percent of the vote.

 “In 2012, Charles and David Koch spent $60 million to oppose President Obama and others who don’t share their radical agenda,” said Wendy Wendlandt, acting director of Fair Share. “Now they’re spending millions to buy influence in Colorado. Why? Because they are promoting an agenda that favors special interests at the expense of all of us.”

While the U.S. economy slowly recovers from the Great Recession, some special interests, with the support of the Koch Brothers and Gardner, are using their lobbyists and campaign contributions to rig the tax system in their favor, using tax havens in foreign countries or accepting public subsidies to their already profitable businesses. Research by Citizens for Tax Justice shows that many of the nation’s “Fortune 500” companies, such as General Electric and Boeing, are paying no federal income taxes. At the same time, many of these very companies were shipping American jobs overseas.