"Amazon was responsible for about 44 percent of all U.S. e-commerce sales last year, according to data from One Click Retail."

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/03/amazon-grabbed-4-percent-of-all-us-retail-sales-in-2017-new-study.html

At what point does a company become a monopoly?

I have no idea, just quoting the article.

Here’s what Amazon had to say in its U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing:

"Our provision for income taxes in 2017 was lower than in 2016 primarily due to excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation and the provisional favorable effect of the 2017 Tax Act, partially offset by an increase in the proportion of foreign losses for which we may not realize a tax benefit and audit-related developments."

My immediate thought, as well... I was told my taxes would not be affected until next year when I file.

anyone read the "Splinter article" ?

don't know that you missed anything, figured you might have been the only reader.

well, notice I didn't say I read it...

I'm waiting for a cliff notes version of cliff notes

Cheers?

Why is anyone surprised that a corporation pays zero taxes? My law corp (PA) never paid a penny in taxes. All profits went to me as pay and there weren't any dividends paid.

After a little reading, my conclusion is that ....well....its complicated.

No question that Amazon works the tax system to its advantage. Any company that doesn't is doing a disservice to its owners and shareholders.

In years past, Amazon sheltered a lot of income tax liability overseas in some pretty shady ways. I'm not sure that's still the case.

The somewhat oversimplified explanation today is that Amazon is taking very little profit currently. They aren't paying shareholders at nearly the rate that other major companies are. They reinvest capital at incredible rates, unlike any other major corporations.
Eventually, investors are going to expect huge dividends, but for now, there isn't a whole lot of profit to be taxed. At least that's how it appears.

I've always thought it was odd anyone expected corporations to pay taxes too.

One of the first things they teach you in business school... if there are no earnings before taxes recorded on the balance sheet, there is no taxes. If you want to avoid taxes you send the money out before it hits EBT.. reinvest in equipment (and depreciate it), capital projects... There are hundreds of things a corporation can do with its money before it becomes earnings that is more beneficial than having the government take a percentage.

damm oligarchs...

No it wouldn't. And it shouldn't.

We are talking about corporations here, not individual income tax.

If you want to discuss a corporate flat tax, they'd get around it the same way they get around the other tax, by ensuring they have no earnings before taxes.