Stock illustration: Poring over documents

One of the provisions buried in the Build Back Better bill is the implementation of a minimum tax rate of 15 percent for corporations. Senator Elizabeth Warren has been the provision's most vocal champion and chief cheerleader. Given that 55 high-profile profitable corporations paid no taxes in the last fiscal year, the idea of applying a minimum tax is seen as a way to correct a tax outcome that many regard as unfair.

Fairness, of course, is in the eye of the beholder. Some argue that any tax on corporate profits is unfair, as the same earnings are taxed a second time when distributed to shareholders. Thus, imposing corporate taxes in the first place allows for double taxation. Others contend that taxes on corporate earnings have spawned an over-the-top evolution of lobbying by special interests that have detrimental effects disproportionate to the relatively small contribution that corporate taxes make to total federal taxes collected. (Corporate taxes account for about 7 percent of total federal tax revenues.)

Complete your profile to continue reading and get FREE access to Treasury & Risk, part of your ALM digital membership.

Your access to unlimited Treasury & Risk content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:

  • Thought leadership on regulatory changes, economic trends, corporate success stories, and tactical solutions for treasurers, CFOs, risk managers, controllers, and other finance professionals
  • Informative weekly newsletter featuring news, analysis, real-world case studies, and other critical content
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.