'We pay every penny we owe': Amazon fires back at Joe Biden, defending how much it pays in taxes

AP Photo/Jessica Hill

Joe Biden.

• Amazon fired back at former Vice President Joe Biden on Twitter Thursday after he tweeted that Amazon should not pay a lower tax rate than firefighters and teachers.
• "We pay every penny we owe," Amazon wrote on Twitter. Adding that Biden's criticism should be focused on US tax code rather than Amazon itself.
• Amazon has not owed federal taxes in the last two years. It avoids paying federal taxes using a variety of tax credits and tax exemptions that are legal and built into the U.S. federal tax code.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Amazon fired back at Joe Biden on Thursday after he criticized how much the tech giant pays in taxes.

"We've paid $2.6B in corporate taxes since 2016. We pay every penny we owe," Amazon wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

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Former Vice President Biden called out Amazon's tax practice during a campaign speech in Mount Pleasant, Iowa on Tuesday.

"I have nothing against Amazon, but they should pay a few taxes," he said, according to a tweet from Bloomberg reporter Jennifer Epstein.

Biden also posted a tweet on Thursday calling out Amazon.

"I have nothing against Amazon, but no company pulling in billions of dollars of profits should pay a lower tax rate than firefighters and teachers. We need to reward work, not just wealth," he said in the tweet.

Amazon has not owed federal taxes in the last two years. It avoids paying federal taxes using a variety of tax credits and tax exemptions that are legal and built into the U.S. federal tax code.

Read more: Amazon will pay $0 in federal taxes this year - here's how the $793 billion company gets away with it

"Congress designed tax laws to encourage companies to reinvest in the American economy," Amazon wrote in its tweet. "We have. $200B in investments since 2011 & 300K US jobs. Assume VP Biden's complaint is w/ the tax code, not Amazon."

Biden isn't the only politician to call out Amazon over its taxpaying and business practice. Both Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren have been outspoken critics of the company in the past.

In April, Sen. Elizabeth Warren called out Amazon in a town hall speech, accusing it of using data that it collects from sellers and buyers to create its own private label products. This practice would "knock out" the competition, Warren said.

Last year, President Trump also attacked Amazon in a series of tweets, in which he accused it of not paying taxes.