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title: ""It found that a single Walmart Supercenter cost taxpayers between…"
date: 2016-08-15
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships shared a link.
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# "It found that a single Walmart Supercenter cost taxpayers between…

*August 15, 2016 · Facebook*

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[http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/04/15/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxpayers-6-2-billion-in-public-assistance/#6162d82e7cd8](http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2014/04/15/report-walmart-workers-cost-taxpayers-6-2-billion-in-public-assistance/#6162d82e7cd8){target="_blank"}
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\"It found that a single Walmart Supercenter cost taxpayers between \$904,542 and \$1.75 million per year, or between \$3,015 and \$5,815 on average for each of 300 workers."\
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A thought experiment:\
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Suppose a fire destroyed the local Walmart (without killing any of the employees). Wouldn\'t this imply that the government would now save \~\$5000/year per former Walmart employee? After all, the Walmart is now gone.\
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However, how can that be? The employees still need those benefits, plus whatever Walmart was paying them.\
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Walmart\'s average sales associate makes about \$16,000 per year. If the government had to make up for the loss of the associate\'s wages (which they would, at least for a time following the fire), the cost to the government would be four times the amount it\'s currently paying in benefits (\$16000 + \$5000 = \$21000).\
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Said another way, far from costing the government money, Walmart is saving the government \$16000 a year per employee.
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