How Boeing can run around and say with a straight face that it needs concessions from its workers when it is making large profits AND screwing tax payers at the same time is just a beautiful example of how corporations are fleecing the public — and, if you want to think about it in a bigger picture way, why the economy continues to be so bad for so many people.

This is worth thinking about in light of the media playing up the rejection of a new contract by workers at Boeing, without pointing out what the Citizens for Tax Justice underscores:

On November 12th, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law the largest state business tax break package in history for Boeing. The new law will give Boeing and its suppliers an estimated $8.7 billion in tax breaks between now and 2040. Even before this giant new subsidy, Boeing has already been staggeringly successful in avoiding state taxes. Over the past decade, Boeing has managed to avoid paying even a dime of state income taxes nationwide on $35 billion in pretax U.S. profits.

Nationwide, Boeing reported $96 million in net state income tax rebates over the 2003-2012 period.

Boeing also has aggressively pursued sales and property tax breaks in states around the country. It employs an army of site location and tax consultants, whose job has been to blackmail states into giving Boeing lavish tax breaks.

Things are not any better at the federal level. From 2003 to 2012, Boeing received $1.8 billion in federal income tax rebates on its $35 billion in U.S. profits.

So, Boeing basically is trying to hit the trifecta: making a ton of money, extorting more money from taxpayers and gutting the livelihood of its workers. Wow. Audacious.