Companies That Pay Tiny Tax Bills

Big Business, Tiny Taxes

Did you feel the pinch when you had to cough up money for the tax man this year? Plenty of hugely successful companies didn't — or even got refunds — despite raking in billions. The 19 businesses listed here from an analysis by the Center for American Progress are just the companies in the Fortune 100 with the tiniest (or nonexistent) tax bills — other profitable businesses, like Salesforce and Netflix, also paid next to nothing. Here's a primer on what these corporations paid, if anything, and what they earned in the U.S. in 2021.

Charter Communications

Effective tax rate: -0.2%

Charter Communications, the corporation behind major TV and Internet provider Spectrum, had earnings of $6 billion but reported that it received a tax refund of $12 million.

AIG

Effective tax rate: -2.2%

This massive insurance company certainly can't complain about its $98 billion in earnings, or its hefty tax refund of $216 million.

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Indianapolis - February 2016: Dow AgroSciences World Headquarters — jetcityimage/istockphoto

Dow

Effective tax rate: -3.1%

This chemical giant not only didn't owe taxes on its $1.5 billion in earnings, it got a refund to the tune of $46 million.

AT&T

Effective tax rate: -4.1%

AT&T also got a nice gift from Uncle Sam despite just under $30 billion in earnings — a tax refund of a whopping $1.2 billion.

Companies That Paid Less Than 5% in Taxes

Plenty of other companies didn't get refunds, but their tax rate is still a far cry from what average Joes are forced to fork over. Here are several big names that X found had an effective tax rate of under 5%.