Corporate Tax Breaks
Let Them Eat Cheesecake: Federal Tax Breaks for Restaurant Chains Encourage Low Pay and Low Corporate Tax Rates
• By Matthew Gardner
Six restaurant companies – Cheesecake Factory, Brinker (the parent company of Chili’s), Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden), Bloomin’ Brands (Outback Steakhouse), Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, and Texas Roadhouse – collectively disclosed $2.5 billion of U.S. profits last year on which they paid tax rates averaging 5.4 percent, far below the statutory 21 percent.
114 Profitable Corporations Paid Zero Federal Income Tax in 2025
• By ITEP Staff
There were 114 corporations that paid no federal income tax in 2025. That includes well-known companies like Tesla, Walt Disney, CVS, Citigroup, United Airlines, Palantir, and DoorDash.
Bigger Corporations, Bigger Tax Breaks: Consolidation Leads Six Corporations to Grab a Giant Share of Subsidies
• By Matthew Gardner
Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta and J.P. Morgan Chase collectively raked in 42 percent of the total tax subsidies that 706 profitable U.S. corporations received in 2025.
After Two Rounds of Trump Tax Cuts, Corporate America Paid Less Than Ever in 2025
• By Matthew Gardner, Steve Wamhoff, Joe Hughes, Spandan Marasini
In 2025, 706 major American corporations collectively paid a federal income tax rate of just 10.4% on $1.88 trillion in U.S. profits. This is the lowest effective rate that ITEP has uncovered in over 40 years of analyzing corporate income taxes.
Meta’s Outlandish Tax Breaks for AI Data Centers
• By Steve Wamhoff
Meta is claiming the research tax credit – a tax break meant to encourage innovation and experimentation – to pay for the equipment it uses in data centers to power its AI activities. ITEP described how Meta paid just 3.5% of its profits in federal corporate income taxes in 2025.
Big Tech Is Raking in Enormous Tax Breaks for AI Development
• By Matthew Gardner
OBBBA’s expensing provision is becoming especially lucrative for the companies building out AI infrastructure right now. There is no evidence whatsoever that tax breaks are necessary to encourage their construction.
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