Russell Simmons Called Out by FBN's Charles Payne on Complaints Taxes Too Low

October 10th, 2011 9:04 AM

As FNC's Geraldo Rivera appeared in New York City for his Geraldo at Large show on Sunday night to give attention to the Occupy Wall Street protests, participant and music mogul Russell Simmons sparred with FBN's Charles Payne after Simmons complained that his taxes were too low and claimed that his employees pay more taxes then he does.

When Payne jumped in to suggest, "you could have written an extra check," Simmons shot back: "Why am I gonna write a, that's a dumb thing."

Payne mocked Simmons's refusal by cracking, "Because you feel patriotic."

After Simmons indicated that he contributes money to charities instead of donating more taxes, Payne challenged the music mogul on a credit card business Simmons apparently earns money from, and whether such a business is what the protesters Simmons supports are complaining about. Payne:

But, listen, you have a credit card company, you have a credit card company, and you charge people interest to use those cards. Isn't that what they're railing about? It's not a free card. How did you make $100 million?

Simmons again defended his refusal to voluntarily contribute more taxes:

The point I'm making is that I'm not knocking corporations. I'm knocking the game they're playing. I'm not knocking the players, I'm knocking the game. And what I'm telling you is that this country allows too much access to their politicians by too much interests and too much money. It's really simple. And I'm happy to pay more taxes, but I'm not going to pay more taxes alone. I'd rather give it to my charities.

Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Sunday, October 9, Geraldo at Large on FNC:

GERALDO RIVERA: Let me jump on Russell Simmons here. How you doing, Russell? ... so, hi, what you doing? Why are you here, Russell?

RUSSELL SIMMONS: I've been coming to this protest since these kids first started. It's a pretty simple message that they're conveying. ...

SIMMONS: A simple message: It's too much money to Washington. Get the special interests and the corporations out of our government, let the people govern. It's a simple message. It's not a, it's not-

RIVERA: How does that work realistically? Charles Payne, enter into the discussion here.

SIMMONS: Realistically, you get some legislation, somebody like some conservative Democrat or John McCain or Lieberman or somebody, write some legislation, sweeping legislation to keep, and then all the issues they talking about, whether it's the, last time I was here there was this  big rally over at the industrial complex rallying and supporting putting people in jail.

RIVERA: Where does it all go, Russ?

SIMMONS: And then the unions come here, and they're being disempowered. And then we take jobs offshore and that's another way of disempowering the working man.

CHARLES PAYNE, FBN: Can I jump in here?

SIMMONS: All of these things are a result of undue power that the corporations and special interests have over our government.

RIVERA: Charles Payne, Fox News Business colleague, you've called this a sham, Charles. Why?

SIMMONS: And I don't pay taxes. The reason I don't pay taxes is because-

RIVERA: What do you mean you don't pay taxes?

SIMMONS: I don't pay as much, I got a check for $100 million, I gave away 10 million in bonuses to my employees and they all pay more taxes than me, and the reason I didn't pay taxes is because of the loopholes and because of all of the opportunity that-

PAYNE: Well, you could have written an extra check, though, an extra check-

SIMMONS: Why am I gonna write a, that's a dumb thing,

PAYNE: But here's the thing, let me ask you this-

SIMMONS: -why am I, ask a question, why am I going to write a check-

PAYNE: Why not?

SIMMONS: -if I'm going to write a check that's going to support-

PAYNE: You feel patriotic.

SIMMONS: -education?

PAYNE: But, listen, you have a credit card company, you have a credit card company, and you charge people interest to use those cards. Isn't that what they're railing about? It's not a free card. How did you make $100 million?

SIMMONS: The point I'm making is that I'm not knocking corporations. I'm knocking the game they're playing. I'm not knocking the players, I'm knocking the game. And what I'm telling you is that this country allows too much access to their politicians by too much interests and too much money. It's really simple. And I'm happy to pay more taxes, but I'm not going to pay more taxes alone. I'd rather give it to my charities.