Energy Tomorrow Blog
Revisiting Energy and Taxes
tax rates intangible drilling costs cost recovery investment jobs creation economic growth
Mark Green
Posted August 6, 2014
America’s oil and natural gas industry sends an average of $85 million a day to the federal government in the form of taxes, rents, royalties and bonus payments. Averaged over 2007-2012, the industry’s effective tax rate – income taxes paid to governments, divided by pretax income – was 44.6 percent. That’s well above the averages for other industries over the same time period.
We say all that to say this: Attacks that claim the oil and natural gas industry isn’t paying its fair share and/or that it gets special treatment are ridiculous. Industry is paying its fair share and then some – even as it supports 9.8 million jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy.