Fact of the Day: In 2012, Corporate Profits Hit Record 11.1 Percent Of GDP

Corporate Profits - Percent of GDP - Quarter 3, 2012It might only be four years and change since the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at corporate profits of late. In the 3rd quarter of 2012, corporate profits hit an all-time high of 11.1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is at the same time that the unemployment rate is still nearly 8%, and wages are stagnant or worse.

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Tax Revenue, Post-WWII, Averages 17.7 Percent Of GDP

In the years since World War II (1946-2011), federal tax receipts have averaged 17.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is probably the best way to gauge the federal tax burden because it compares it to economic output. Since there are many arguments in and out of Washington D.C. about the effects of taxation on economic growth, it makes sense to directly compare the measure of taxation (total federal tax receipts) with the measure of economic output (GDP).

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Is The Election A Drag On The Economy?

The economy has continued to add jobs month after month for three years now. Well over 5 million jobs have been created during that time, but job gains and economic growth in 2012 have lagged behind 2011. Is it possible the election is causing a drag on the economy?

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America Has The Best Health Care? Not In A Fact-Based World.

The United States of America has the highest health care costs of 13 industrialized countries with an average cost of $8,000 per person in 2009. Japan has the lowest costs at just $2,878 per person in 2008. This is from a study by The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation whose mission is to “promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable”.

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