This week’s map shows top corporate marginal taxA tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities. rates in each state (full report on state corporate income taxA corporate income tax (CIT) is levied by federal and state governments on business profits. Many companies are not subject to the CIT because they are taxed as pass-through businesses, with income reportable under the individual income tax. rates: here). Corporate income taxes vary widely, with Iowa taxing corporate income at a top rate of 12.0 percent (though the state offers deductibility of federal taxes paid), followed by Pennsylvania (9.99 percent), Minnesota (9.8 percent), Alaska (9.4 percent), the District of Columbia (9.4) and Connecticut and New Jersey (9.0 percent each). At the other end of the spectrum, North Dakota taxes corporate income at a top rate of 4.53 percent, followed by Colorado (4.63 percent), and Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Utah (5.0 percent each).
Some states do not levy a corporate income tax at all, but instead levy gross receipts taxes, which are more harmful. Ohio levies the Commercial Activities Tax (CAT), Texas levies the Margin Tax, and Washington levies the Business and Occupation (B&O) tax. Virginia and Delaware levy both gross receipts taxes and corporate income taxes. Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming do not levy a corporate income tax or a gross receipts taxA gross receipts tax, also known as a turnover tax, is applied to a company’s gross sales, without deductions for a firm’s business expenses, like costs of goods sold and compensation. Unlike a sales tax, a gross receipts tax is assessed on businesses and apply to business-to-business transactions in addition to final consumer purchases, leading to tax pyramiding. , although the Nevada Senate recently passed legislation (now pending in the Assembly) that would impose a gross receipts tax in that state.
Economic studies find that corporate income taxes are among the most harmful to economic growth, while sales and property taxes have less of an impact on growth.
For more information on state tax rates, check out the 2015 edition of Facts and Figures: How does your state compare?
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