Coming to theatres today, Friday, October 30: THE PRICE WE PAY
Harold Crooks’ investigation into the impact of corporate tax havens debuted at Toronto last year. It went on to screen at Vancouver, Planete+ Doc, Open City, and CPH:DOX, among other events.
Covering similar terrain as 2012’s WE’RE NOT BROKE, but taking a more international perspective, Crooks’ film looks at the origins and widespread employment of tax havens by multinational corporations in places like the Cayman Island, the Bahamas, and even Canada and Ireland. While the companies are well within their legal rights, and stand by the oft-used justification that they are legally obligated to maximize profits for their shareholders, critics rightfully call this behavior what it is: corporate tax avoidance. The film explores the economic impact of offshore finance, not only in making the rich richer, but in keeping tax revenue out of circulation, jeopardizing federal financing for social services and other public projects. While restricting himself to too many talking heads, Crooks occasionally livens up the proceedings with some fiery footage of congressional and parliamentary hearings that try to take the likes of Google and Amazon to task. The film also presents potential correctives, like the proposed Robin Hood tax on financial transactions, but the prospect for real change looks daunting in the face of infuriating corporate legal, political, and economic muscle.
what (not) to doc 