[campbellcj]

Today in the US, corporations pay only about 7.4% of the total federal income taxes collected, as compared with about 1/3rd forty years ago.

As a small business person I can attest to Cam's thought that many/most small corporations pay little or no taxes -- especially when one is on cash-basis accounting, it is simple to manipulate income and (deductible) expenses so as to create no taxable profits at year-end.

However, any excess salary or bonuses paid are taxed as personal income to the payees and the other mechanisms for legally "disposing" of operating profits are long term investment oriented such as Defined-Benefit plans and other tax-deferred pension vehicles.

Personally I would love to see a simplified tax structure based on a flat income tax and some kind of non-regressive consumption tax that is not severe enough to penalize healthy levels of consumer spending.

Above all, I would like to see a clear and honest accounting of where my tax dollars go!!! I paid a huge amount in personal and business/payroll taxes last year and really have no solid grasp of where it ends up, in light of our massively over bloated budgets.