And by "figured out," I'm referring to "worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and […] $5.1 billion of the total came from its operations in the United States," combined with a grand total $0.00 in taxes. "In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion," reports the Times. Sure the Internal Revenue Code is complex but if you're aggressive, have a few lobbyists at your disposal and your tax department is "often referred to as the best tax law firm," the IRC is a cakewalk.
Its extraordinary success is based on an aggressive strategy that mixes fierce lobbying for tax breaks and innovative accounting that enables it to concentrate its profits offshore. G.E.’s giant tax department, led by a bow-tied former Treasury official named John Samuels, is often referred to as the world’s best tax law firm. Indeed, the company’s slogan “Imagination at Work” fits this department well. The team includes former officials not just from the Treasury, but also from the I.R.S. and virtually all the tax-writing committees in Congress.
G.E.’s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes Altogether [NYT] See also: On GE's Pathological Aversion To Paying Taxes [ZH]
[K]ey Republicans have not responded positively to signals that President Obama will push for some tax increases in his deficit-reduction plan to be laid out this week. David Plouffe, a senior White House adviser, indicated Sunday that the president would reiterate his call to raise taxes on households making $250,000 and above and also signal a desire to look at other provisions in the tax code that wealthier taxpayers use to their advantage. In his fiscal 2012 budget, released in February, the president called for allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for income above $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples at the end of next year. That statement came roughly two months after a compromise with congressional Republicans had extended current tax rates for the richest taxpayers for two years. [