Director’s Cut Radio: Going After Corporate Tax Dodgers With “We’re Not Broke”

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We’re Not Broke” is a 2012 documentary by Karin Hayes and Victoria Bruce about how American corporations hide profits overseas.

Pete Schwaba is this week’s guest host on “Director’s Cut” on Wisconsin Public Television.

Terry Bell: Many different people have many different prescriptions for what’s ailing our economy. These filmmakers say corporations aren’t paying their fair share of taxes.

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Pete Schwaba: That’s exactly what they say, and that’s what “We’re Not Broke” is about. It takes a look at how corporations are hiding money overseas in an effort not to have to pay taxes here in America. And that’s what Victoria and Karin are saying in their film, that that’s what’s affecting our economy, that we’re not getting that tax revenue.

TB: Pete, you asked director and producer Karin Hayes about some of the challenges in making “We’re Not Broke.”

Karin Hayes: When I’d say “I’m doing this film about taxes,” my friends’ eyes would glaze over. They’d start thinking about having to pay their own taxes. So it really wasn’t an interesting subject to many people we talked to. First we were going to do a movie about individuals hiding money overseas, and then it became clear to us that the larger issue was corporations, and how they were able to transfer profits overseas while making tons of profits, transfer them overseas, and not pay any taxes on it.

PS: How hard is it? When you make a film, you have to know how to make a film, and now you have to know a lot about taxes and corporate ledgers and all of that. How much homework did you have to do just on the financial end of it?

KH: We didn’t do the number-crunching ourselves. It was the experts who did that. And we relied on their data to help get all the facts and figures.

PS: That’s probably a good idea.

KH: Yeah.

TB: They pull off a real nifty trick in this movie, and it’s that they take what could potentially be an incredibly dry topic, and turn it into a pretty compelling piece of film.

PS: It is compelling. Yeah, they did a really good job. They have great news footage. What I like the most about it though, is the music they put to it. You’re learning this stuff about the economy, and how we have no money, and I’m tapping my foot at the same time! (laughs) The music’s great, it moves quickly, and they got some great interviews. It’s a very well-done documentary.

See more of Pete Schwaba, Karin Hayes, and “We’re Not Broke” on “Director’s Cut”, Friday night, May 24th at 10:00 on Wisconsin Public Television.

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