PolitiFact Georgia and the AJC Truth-O-Meter observed Tax Day last Monday with a check of two tax-related claims.
We examined a claim about taxpayer dollars spent on IRS training videos in which employees — in full costume — model scenarios from iconic television series “Star Trek” and “Gilligan’s Island.” We also checked a frequently used claim that the United States has the highest corporate tax rate in the world.
Our hunger for information also led us to look at a claim about the Chick-fil-A on Emory University’s campus, and whether a proposal to remove the eatery was politically motivated.
Abbreviated versions of our fact checks are below, and full versions can be found at: www.politifact.com/georgia/.
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U.S. Rep. Tom Graves: The Internal Revenue Service spent $60,000 on a “Star Trek” training video.
Graves posted this claim on Twitter about what the IRS spent on a 2010 training video in which some of its employees were dressed as “Star Trek” characters.
“Next time anyone (@barackobama) says they need to raise your taxes, send them this IRS star trek video — cost you $60k,” Graves tweeted.
The IRS says that video and another from 2011 — featuring employees dressed as “Gilligan’s Island” characters — cost a combined $60,000. Graves’ statement was based on inaccurate news coverage. Most news organizations, though, got it right and said that both videos together cost the taxpayers the grand total.
The congressman’s claim is partially accurate. The IRS did spend a lot of taxpayer money on a “Star Trek” video. But Graves’ claim omits some important context, primarily that the $60,000 is inflated since that price tag covered two questionable videos.
We rated Graves’ claim Half True.
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The Tax Foundation: “We Really Do Have the Highest Corporate Tax Rate in the World.”
The Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonpartisan foundation, defended this claim after a discussion of the issue between a Wall Street Journal editorial board member and a U.S. senator this month on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher.”
This is an often-repeated claim that PolitiFact has examined before.
Examining corporate tax rates is complex.
The U.S. rate is 35 percent, but many say it’s even higher (39 percent) once you include other factors. The U.S. may have the highest nominal tax rate, but may not have the highest effective tax rate, which takes into consideration deductions and exemptions available to companies to lower their tax liabilities.
The foundation, which was mentioned during the debate on Maher’s show, defended its claim and said that the United States’ effective tax rate is still among the highest in the world. However, some say this context lowers America’s standing from No. 1, but not by much.
We rated the Tax Foundation’s claim Mostly True.
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Emory University Food Service administrator David Furhman: The decision to remove Chick-fil-A from Emory University was based solely on student feedback.
Furhman, who is the director of Emory’s Food Service Administration, made this claim amid speculation that the university’s proposal for removing the restaurant was politically motivated.
The university received pressure from student groups to remove the eatery after Chick-fil-A’s president made controversial comments last year about same-sex marriage. Furhman said the decision was based on focus groups. Thus far, campus officials have offered conflicting statements about Chick-fil-A’s future.
PolitiFact rules require the person making the statement to provide the proof to back it up. Furhman and Emory failed to do so.
There apparently was an objective process that reviewed all food vendors. But only incomplete documentation was provided. That documentation didn’t confirm any of the sources’ claims. And the final redesign plan doesn’t indicate the eatery review committee was concentrating on health concerns.
We rated the claim Half True.
(This claim was checked by a journalism major at Emory University who is completing an internship with PolitiFact Georgia. She is also an editor at the campus newspaper but took no part in the Chick-fil-A news coverage.)
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