London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 08, 2026

Democrats' new minimum tax would target Facebook, Amazon, analysis shows

Democrats' new minimum tax would target Facebook, Amazon, analysis shows

At least 70 of the largest companies in the U.S. could see higher tax bills under a new minimum levy that President Biden has endorsed in order to help fund his sweeping Build Back Better plan.

A new analysis conducted by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. – who proposed the tax alongside Sens. Angus King, I-Maine and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. – shows which companies could face steeper taxes under the proposed minimum tax on book income.

The tax, which would impose a 15% minimum on corporations based on profits they publicly report on their financial statements to shareholders even if they had zero federal tax liability, would only apply to companies that reported more than $1 billion in income for three straight years.

An employee uses a laptop computer while packages move along a conveyor belt at the Amazon.com Inc. fulfillment center in Hyderabad, India, on Sept. 7, 2017.


The report from Warren found that the tax would force companies, including Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, T-Mobile, Bank of America, Google and Verizon, to pay more to the U.S. government. The Congressional Budget Office determined recently that the tax would generate about $319 billion over the next decade, which would go toward paying for Biden's sweeping social spending and climate change plan.

Her analysis used publicly available data from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy for publicly traded companies in the Fortune 500 and S&P 500 to calculate how much each business earned in annual profits, how much they paid in income tax and how much they would pay under the proposed 15% rate.

It shows the minimum would generate up to $22 billion in one year alone from 70 of the biggest publicly traded companies in the U.S.

For instance, Warren's report shows that Amazon was able to reduce its tax rate to 11.5% – rather than 21% – in 2020. By doing so, the company was able to reduce its tax liability by roughly $830 million. But if there had been a 15% minimum book tax in place, Amazon would have paid an additional $836 million in federal and foreign income taxes.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 22, 2020, in Washington.


Facebook – which paid $4.5 billion in taxes last year – would have paid an additional $469 million under the Democrats' proposal. T-Mobile, which paid nothing in federal taxes last year, would have owed $537 million.

"Billionaire corporations have gotten a free ride in America for too long. It’s time to stop letting giant corporations cheat the system – they should pay taxes just like everyone else," Warren said in a statement. "My Corporate Profits Minimum Tax would help put an end to tax-rigging schemes and raise billions in revenue so we can make real investments in American families."

Critics of the tax have raised concerns that it will complicate financial reporting for big companies while giving the Financial Accounting Standards Board, an independent organization that sets accounting rules, too much power over the U.S. tax base.

"The potential politicization of the FASB will likely lead to lower-quality financial accounting standards and lower-quality financial accounting earnings," said a letter to Democrats signed by more than 260 accounting academics.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Counter-Terrorism Police Lead Salford Investigation After Two Teenagers Charged
UK Rejects Financial Reparations for Transatlantic Slavery
UK and Egypt Step Up Diplomacy Over Escalating West Bank Tensions
UK Pauses Council Reorganisation Across Four English Counties
Jaguar Land Rover Plans 4,000 Job Cuts in Major UK Restructuring
UK Unveils Planning and Regulatory Overhaul to Speed Infrastructure and Economic Growth
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Innovation Campus
Families Give Evidence to Independent Review of Sussex Maternity Failures
Sweden Confirms Deportation of 458 British Citizens Over Post-Brexit Residency Rules
UK Launches £3 Million Challenge for Long-Duration Energy Storage
Reform UK Proposes £100 Billion in Spending Cuts and Brownfield Deregulation
Andy Burnham Warns Macron That EU Procurement Rules Could Hurt British Steel
Andy Burnham Faces Major Decision on Future North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling
SEND Support in England Projected to Reach One in 10 Pupils
England’s Housing Courts Struggle With Surge in No-Fault Eviction Cases
Violent Clashes Erupt in Portsmouth During Protest Against Asylum Processing
Three-Quarters of NHS Emergency Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
UK Considers Converting Female Prison Space for Male Inmates as Overcrowding Worsens
UK House Prices Record First Annual Decline in Nearly Three Years
UK Government Reassesses Policy Toward Israel Amid Calls for Diplomatic Shift
Reform UK Faces Police Scrutiny Over Alleged Foreign Donations Scheme
University of Bristol Opens £500 Million Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus
Online Bookmakers Accused of Privacy Breaches Through Cookie Consent Practices
Health Campaigners Urge UK Government to Abandon U.S. Pharmaceutical Agreement
Three-Quarters of UK A&E Staff Report Regular Violence or Aggression
Far-Right Demonstrations Target Portsmouth as Small-Boat Crossings Fuel Tensions
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record After Severe Heatwaves
UK Travellers Face Renewed EU Border Delays as Temporary Flexibility Ends
UK Rejects Calls to Pause AI Data Centre Expansion Despite Energy Concerns
UK Defence Figures Push for 3% Spending Target Amid Falklands Concerns
England Faces Rising Financial Pressure as Special Educational Needs Plans Surge
Metropolitan Police Consider Reform UK Probe Over Overseas Donations
Keir Starmer to Leave Parliament, Triggering By-Election
UK Treasury Weighs Windfall Taxes on Banks and Oil Companies Amid Bond Market Turmoil
Jaguar Land Rover to Cut Thousands of Jobs as UK Government Rules Out Bailout
OpenAI Unveils GPT-6 and Says: "We May Already Have Reached AGI"
Congressman Accused Andrew of Sex Crimes in the United States
Donald Trump: "I'm Glad Harry and Meghan Left the United States"
Spicy Food Is Linked to Lower Death Risk — but It Is Not a Miracle Cure
AfD Enters Saxony-Anhalt Election at 41% in Historic Test for German Politics
Gen Z Turns to Investing as America's First-Home Dream Moves Further Out of Reach
Thousands Join London March Calling for Tighter Abortion Restrictions
Institute of Directors Says Tax and Regulatory Uncertainty Still Weighs on UK Investment
Bank of England Faces Rate Dilemma as Weak Growth and Persistent Inflation Raise Stagflation Risks
Masked Anti-Immigration Protesters Block Roads to Port of Dover
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Devolution and Re-Industrialisation Agenda
British Chambers of Commerce Forecasts UK Growth of Just 1% Through 2027
UK Government Advances Bill to Tighten Rules on Overseas Political Donations
Nigel Farage Faces Scrutiny Over Alleged Reform UK Donation-Law Evasion
Thousands Join Anti-Abortion March Through Central London
×