As corporate profits have increased, the tax strategies employed by U.S.-based multinational corporations have come under Internal Revenue Service scrutiny. According to The Economist, America's corporate profits are at an all-time high. Yet, corporate contributions to Uncle Sam's coffers have been far lower than they were in the past. In 1947, corporate profits were about 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and corporate taxes were about 4 percent. Last year, corporate profits were about 12 percent of GDP and corporate taxes less than 2 percent.

The United States government recently called a U.S.-based multinational to task because it had employed "a complex web of offshore entities to pay little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars it had earned outside America." The company responded to the inquiry by pointing out it paid billions of dollars in American taxes during fiscal 2012 and was probably one of the biggest corporate taxpayers in the country.

Internet retailers and catalogue companies also are becoming part of the hunt for tax revenue. Under current law, states cannot compel out-of-state retailers to collect the sales and use taxes owed by residents and businesses. It is up to individuals to declare and pay those taxes. The National Conference of State Legislatures estimates the inability to have Internet businesses collect taxes resulted in about $23 billion in lost tax revenue during 2012. In an effort to help states collect these taxes, Congress created the Marketplace Fairness Act. If it becomes law, states that adopt a simplified tax code will be able to enforce sales and use tax collection by Internet retailers and catalogue companies. The Act was passed by the Senate early in May.

* This newsletter was prepared by Peak Advisor Alliance.

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