US Companies Pay the Highest Taxes in the World
Chris Banescu
March 3, 2009
It may come as a surprise that US companies pay the highest taxes in the world. Yes, you read that right! American businesses, large and small and across all industries pay from 35% to 41.6% of their income in combined state and federal taxes. The 41.6% maximum rate is scheduled to rise to 46.2% in 2010 when President Obama's promised tax increases are implemented. Compare that to socialist France where companies pay only 34.4% in taxes, to China where the rate is 25%, or Russia which levies a mere 24%. Corporations in Ireland, Europe's fastest growing economy for the last 18 years, pay just 12.5% in taxes.
Because of its dual taxation system, US businesses and individuals are required to pay both state and federal taxes on their income. When combined both these taxes range from a minimum of 35% in states like Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming that do not tax business income, to a maximum of 41.6% in Iowa, the state with the highest corporate tax rate of 12%.
Corporate Tax Rates, US vs. Other Free-Market Democracies
Last year the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan educational organization with a solid reputation for independence and credibility, released a report that compared the tax rates of US corporations (across all 50 states) with 29 other countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and free-market economy (referred to as OCED countries, 30 total). Their study reveals the surprising finding that US companies are already at a significant competitive disadvantage in the world economy.
When compared to other OECD countries:
- 24 US states have a combined corporate tax rate higher than top-ranked Japan.
- 32 states have a combined corporate tax rate higher than third-ranked Germany.
- 46 states have a combined corporate tax rate higher than fourth-ranked Canada.
- All 50 states have a combined corporate tax rate higher than fifth-ranked France.
(The Tax Foundation, 2008)
The full chart comparing the various US tax rates versus all the other OCED countries is available here. (http://chrisbanescu.com/blog/2008/12/27/us-corporate-tax-rates-vs-all-oecd-countries/)
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Read the entire article on the American Thinker website.