How big corporations hide their profits — and how to stop it

Starbucks does more business in Oregon than in just about any corner of the world. For one, the U.S. is the largest market for the world’s largest coffee chain.  And in the U.S., there are more Starbucks stores per capita in Oregon than any other state.

So how much in profits does Starbucks make in Oregon and how much does it pay in taxes to the state? We don’t know. That information is secret. But one thing we do know is that Starbucks uses accounting tricks to keep its profits from being taxed where they were made. 

In this episode of Policy for the People, we look into how big corporations like Starbucks hide their profits to avoid taxes. Jason Ward of Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research and Spandan Marasini of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy share stories about corporate tax avoidance and their insight into what to do about it.