In 2009 Exxon posted 45.2 billion dollars in profit. Forbes ranked it as the largest earning US company. Yet they paid $0 in federal income taxes because they filter their money through some 20 different offshore companies.
So after some stuff that came out last week we now know that 47% of all US workers don't pay any federal income tax and now the biggest company in the country doesn't either. There is another story linked there that shows a study found 2 our of 3 US companies from 1998 to 2005 didn't pay any federal income tax.
With numbers like these it is no wonder there are so many little taxes that get added to every little thing you buy or do.
Here are the articles if you want to read them.
Oh, and somehow I don't think we will be seeing the same level of outrage from the various Fox New pundits about Exxon paying nothing as we did last week when we found out nearly half of workers pay nothing.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/01/ge-...e-taxes_2.html
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/06/exxon-tax/
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/bu...3tax.html?_r=1