Should we make corporations pay higher taxes or is this bad?

It's a delicate balance. Lower taxes helps business and can grow the economy. But lets face it, the government needs revenue to function. Exactly how low would you set the tax rate? Low enough to bankrupt the nation?

Also sometimes that tax revenue is put into programs that in turn help grow the economy, such as by researching new technologies. Or by building and maintaining infrastructure, such as the interstate highway system, which enables large scale trade across the nation.

Carefully targeted increases to the tax code can benefit society too. For example, heavily polluting industries could be taxed at a higher rate, and the revenue then be used to research cleaner technologies or reduce the effects of pollution, all while encouraging those industries to clean up their act.

Just saying "low taxes good, high taxes bad" is a gross simplification of the truth.

I am a small business owner and our company happens to be a corporation. We pay taxes based on the profit that our company shows on the books at the end of the year. Most of that profit is actually in accounts receivable, since we do our accounting on an accrual basis. This means we don't even have the money yet, we have only done the work and invoiced the customers. In addition, as as small business owner, the first person who takes a cut when cash flow is tight is me, the owner. The first two years we were in business I didn't even bring home a pay check, but I still paid taxes because the company showed a profit. If I had taken a pay check, sure the profit would have been lower, but I would have tied up cash flow on a weekly basis. I think the biggest problem is that people confuse corporations in general with big corporations. Small companies and business hire 99% of the workforce in the United States, and with the rising cost of fuel and healthcare, it is difficult to stay in business and offer competetive perks to our employees. More taxes? Yes, that might hurt us, and ultimately our employees.

Many people do not understand basic economics. When the price of doing business goes up the prices go up. You would think that paying for gas people would understand this. Instead they are willing to do the entire economy what oil companies have done. The price of oil is very high and so are gas prices yet oil companies keep reporting record profits. The same will be true with all other commodities, if the cost of doing business goes up so will the cost of goods. It will lead to high inflation, it does not matter what the cause of the price hike of doing business is, taxes, natural disasters, war, the cost always get passed on to consumers.

I also like how many people want to blame businesses moving to other countries on republicans. I have always thought it was the cost of doing buisness and to many envirnmental laws. They can move to Mexico, pay lower wages and not have all the tough envirenmental laws to comply with and because of NAFTA not have to pay duties to sell their goods in this country. American businesses have a tough enough time making a profit and more taxes and regulations are going to make other countries look even better.

There is only one problem here. The numbers do not add up. Obama is proposing an estimated 800 billion in new spending. This tax on the rich will not cover the spending increases. It is estimated that the taxes required will amount to 39.6 percent personal income tax, a 52.2 percent combined income and payroll tax, a 28 percent capital-gains tax, a 39.6 percent dividends tax, and a 55 percent estate tax. Additionally he is proposing wind fall profits taxes on oil companies which will increase not only the price of gas, but the costs of shipping goods across the board. This will definitely effect every American consumer negatively and economy as a whole. Sorry you cannot make a skunk smell like a rose. Just taking a few numbers regarding what you might view as favorable taxation without examining the broader context of spending which will require additional increases to fund is not sufficient.

My answer is, ELIMINATE corporate taxes. If there were no more corporate taxes, think how much more money corporations would make? How much more would they pay their employees? They sure as hell wouldn't need loans to cover payroll (the STUPIDEST thing I've heard in a while) or buy materials (the second STUPIDEST)! Those employees (CEO's included) would make a buttload more money to claim on their personal income taxes. I have a feeling it would be a great booster for our economy, to boot. Best Idea? Slow growth in an economy is common sense, it keeps these waves to a minimum. The economy grew WAY too fast, even Morons like me knew it was all a paper tiger.

FDR's New Deal policies prolonged the Great Depression by forcing additional payroll expenses on businesses (FICA and one-sided legislation that favored unions). The result was that people with jobs gained some additional security but the cost was inability by business to hire additional labor because of the increase in payroll costs. Thus, if you did not have a job, the governments policies prolonged your unemployment and financially impeded your ability to find one.

Using this model, the answer should be obvious. Perhaps one should consider that this country has the 2nd highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world. Maybe it is one of the reasons for outsourcing and export of jobs.

Corporations will never pay taxes. They just pass them on to the consumer in higher prices. Or they lay off workers. Or if they get really pissed they leave the US for a country with a more favorable tax structure. In any case, increasing taxes on businesses will result in DECREASED revenue in the long run, fewer businesses and higher unemployment.

Then liberals will fail to notice cause and effect and call for more economic controls...which is what they wanted to do anyway.

One poster says how much corporate america makes. however, the individual is not the one getting taxed, it is the BUSINESS. the fundamental difference is high business tax, the business just cuts back workers or moves oversees. Meat packing plants now hire temp visa workers to get cheap labor. The big wigs on top are still making a high wage, the business tax will not do a thing to stop that.

Small towns lure businesses into their district by allowing these businesses tax relief for 25 years on local property taxes, ect. because they add to the local economy by providing jobs.

Increasing taxes on businesses would be a huge mistake. I do feel that should not subsidize corporations for moving from the US. There shouldn't be any tax benefit given to a company for moving out of this country.

The mistake in this thinking is the type of company. If we raise taxes on companies who already out source most of their work, you are not risking losing American Jobs. Now even if they are all American, if lowering taxes does not reflect more job creatation because of over saturation in the industry again it doesn't matter. Only companies who will grow in America deserve trinkle down economics and taxes. Else everyone must respectfully pay taxes like a good corporate citizen.