Coming Clean: Beyond the Fiscal Cliff – Corporate Taxes: 16th of 22 Challenges

**Note: We are republishing each of the 22 challenges from Catherine’s fiscal cliff article – one a week. Helps to digest them bit by bit!**

By Catherine Austin Fitts

While benefits and contracts to private corporations from the federal budget have risen, the corporate portion of U.S. tax receipts has not risen. In 1995, business tax receipts equaled 27% of individual tax receipts. In 2011, business tax receipts equaled 17% of individual tax receipts. However, the political process has become so dependent on corporate contributions and in turn serving corporate interests, there is barely a mention of increasing corporate taxes or of making sure that corporate behavior is not shrinking the health of the pie from which taxes are drawn.