Steve Ballmer's USAFacts Announces First-Ever "Shareholder Meeting" for American Taxpayers

SEATTLE, April 6, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- USAFacts, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's non-profit, non-partisan civic initiative aimed at making government numbers more available, accessible, and understandable to Americans, today announced plans for "America's Shareholder Meeting" – a live webcast on April 17^th where Ballmer will walk through key highlights from the USAFacts' 2018 Annual Report and 10-K for the US Government. This is the second year USAFacts has created an Annual Report and 10-K, reports created by USAFacts when Ballmer discovered the government didn't provide the kind of comprehensive reporting for citizens that publicly traded companies are required to do for shareholders.

"We're arguing a lot as a country, but I'm not sure we're getting anywhere," said Steve Ballmer, USAFacts Founder, who also owns the LA Clippers. "You know what I love about numbers? They aren't partisan. They are what they are. Numbers are a great lens for looking at our country: what we citizens pay in taxes, what our government spends it on, and what we have to show for it. Public companies owe this level of transparency to shareholders; I think citizens, as America's shareholders, deserve the same.  We hope people will tune in, learn some things, and maybe even take action based on what they learn."

This year's Annual Report summarizes the most recent data on government finances, outcomes of government activities, and population trends. The 10-K — modeled on the form public companies file each year with the Securities and Exchange Commission — is intended to provide the American people with a comprehensive view of US federal, state, and local governments' combined revenues and expenditures, as well as key metrics that measure progress towards our constitutional objectives. Both documents are intended to help Americans understand the current state of the nation.

"USAFacts has already influenced how we understand our government – and it has reminded all of us how much is at stake," said Mark Duggan, The Trione Director of Stanford's Institute for Economic Policy Research and The Wayne and Jodi Cooperman Professor of Economics at Stanford University.  "This year's annual report and 10-K bring lawmakers, economists, budget analysts and interested citizens accessible, understandable information about what revenues we raise and how much we spend as a country, and what results from these interventions.  These reports should be a must read for anyone seeking to be actively engaged in our democracy."

USAFacts is promoting the event on Facebook and Twitter, as well as to its newsletter subscribers.

How to participate

To register to attend America's Shareholder Meeting with Steve Ballmer on April 17^th at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET, go to https://live.usafacts.org or confirm attendance on the Facebook Event Page.

SOURCE USAFacts