Answer needed by 8 AM on Friday, 9/17.

U.S. Politicians are proposing to replace the corporate income tax
with a turnover tax which would be a percentage of sales of U.S.
corporations.  In FY 2003, I understand that U.S. corporations paid
131.8 billion dollars in corporate taxes. I want to compare that total
of 131.8 billion with the taxes these corporations would have paid if
they had been taxed on their sales.

I need a figure for U.S. corporate sales. Obviously, this figure
should be the one that would be used as a basis for the tax.  My guess
is that the tax would be levied on sales of U.S. based corporations,
but not on sales of U.S. subsidiaries based overseas.  The Forbes site
on the web indicates that the 500 largest U.S. corporations had sales
of 7.1 trillion in 2001.  I'm guessing that this figure includes sales
of overseas subsidiaries.

Since I need this info by open of business on Friday, I will provide a
consolation prize for a total from an authoritative source of total
corporate sales of U.S. corporations, including subsidiaries. However,
my question is for sales in a recent year from that part of U.S.
corporation activity which is currently taxed by the U.S. corporation
tax. Please provide both the gross corporate sales figure, the year in
question and the source of the figure.

Hi,
Total and sector wise data provided by the IRS!
http://www.irs.gov/taxstats/article/0,,id=96388,00.html
Hope this is what you are looking for.

Rgds
Vanaja

Vanaji-ga

Thank you for the timely information.  The only way I know of
reimbursing you is for you to resubmit the information as "an answer".
 (The google web site now says there are "no answers"--only your
comment.)  Once google shows there is an answer, I will be able to
state the answer meets my expectations and you will be reimbursed. 
Three cheers for your work.

Hi moosetail-ga

Glad you found the answers suitable.
Unfortunately, google is not accepting any applications for researcher.
Therefore , I am not a registered researcher and hence cannot be
reimbursed thro google:-) and hence cannot post the link as an
'answer'.

Bye