From the linked article, <i>But corporate taxes are steep. Federal and state taxes on profits together average 39.3%, the second-highest rate in the rich world.</i><p>However, from <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/business/13tax.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/business/13tax.html</a> <i>Two out of every three United States corporations paid no federal income taxes from 1998 through 2005, according to a report released Tuesday [August 2008] by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.</i><p>Back to economist: <i>many misunderstand complex disputes</i>, <i>products never launched for fear of litigation</i>, etc...<p>Time for a legal refactoring. It's gotten so complex it is too costly to maintain.