This one is worth reading in it’s entirety…
From Alternet:
Since the second world war, corporations have shifted much of the federal tax burden from themselves to the public – and especially onto the middle-income members of the public. No wonder a tax “revolt” developed, yet it did not push to stop or reverse that shift. Corporations had focused public anger elsewhere, against government expenditures as “wasteful” and against public employees as inefficient.
Organisations such as Chambers of Commerce and corporations’ academic and political allies together shaped the public debate. They did not want it to be about who does and does not pay the taxes. Instead, they steered the “tax revolt” against taxes in general (on businesses and individuals alike). The corporations’ efforts saved them far more in reduced taxes than the costs of their political contributions, lobbyists’ fees and public relations campaigns.
At the same time, corporations also lobbied successfully for many loopholes in the tax laws. The official federal tax rate on profits is now around 35% for large corporations, which theoretically have to pay additional state taxes on their profits and local taxes on their property (land, buildings, business inventories, etc). Those official and theoretical tax obligations have been used to support conservatives’ claims that corporations pay half or more of their profits to federal, state and local levels of government combined. However, because of loopholes, the truth is very different. The actual tax payments of corporations, and especially large corporations, are far lower than their official, theoretical obligations.
Lost in the 21st Century 