Here is a followup to our story Bringing good things to life — like no taxes. Once more we see the capacity of mega-corporations to reduce or avoid income taxes. ProPublica combined with Fortune Magazine to examine 5 Ways GE Plays the Tax Game

“Still, GE is in a class by itself. Here are five ways the company pares its tax rate well below the top U.S. corporate rate of 35 percent — sometimes into the single digits. . . “

Truth is that very large corporations invest richly in traditional party politicians. Low taxes and relief from social responsibilities are the quid pro quo. GE is a major participant in BC’s Mom & Pop industry of Run-of-the-River private power generation. Happily for them, BC Hydro has provided long term take-or-pay purchase contracts at rates high enough to guarantee handsome profits without risk. Will GE pay Canadian income taxes on its earnings? The record suggests that is unlikely.