Home / The Fix / Step 3

Step 03 of 08

Flat corporate tax on all wages

One straightforward rule: corporations pay a tax on the total wages and compensation they distribute. The rate is set by the company’s own Highest Disparity Ratio.

With a clean slate and the Maximum Disparity Income Tax in place, Step 3 replaces the complicated corporate tax code. Corporations pay a tax on all wages paid by the company, and that rate is tied directly to the company’s disparity.

Unlike a traditional flat rate, the corporate tax rate is determined by the company’s Highest Disparity Ratio, the ratio between its highest-paid employee and its lowest-paid employee across its entire global business chain.

Corporate tax rate = 25% × Highest Disparity Ratio

20-to-1 ratio → 5% on all wages paid

40-to-1 ratio → 10% on all wages paid

No floor. No cap.

Highest Disparity Ratio → corporate rate

Corporate tax on all wages 5.00%

The mechanism for this type of taxation is already in place. Businesses already track and report total payroll and compensation through existing payroll systems, quarterly filings, and annual tax documentation. Implementing this structure would therefore require minimal new administrative burden. Companies would simply apply their calculated Highest Disparity Ratio-based rate to their current total wage reporting.

Incentives that travel with the company

This structure aligns corporate incentives with the well-being of the workforce across the entire global operation. Companies that maintain extreme pay gaps between their highest and lowest earners will face higher corporate tax rates on wages. Those that keep their Highest Disparity Ratio reasonable will enjoy significantly lower corporate tax rates. That is a direct financial incentive to reduce extreme disparity throughout the global business chain, not just in U.S. operations.

When combined with the Individual Disparity Income Tax, this reform makes broad-based compensation and responsible global operations more profitable than extraction at the top. Companies that raise wages at the bottom and control excessive compensation at the highest levels benefit from lower tax rates on both the corporate and individual level.

Critics might worry that taxing wages could discourage hiring. Because the rate is predictable and directly tied to a company’s own compensation decisions, businesses can plan effectively. The system actually encourages responsible employment practices: companies that grow their workforce while maintaining reasonable disparity ratios enjoy better overall tax outcomes.

Together with Steps 1 and 2, this is a tax environment that is simple to administer, difficult to game through relocation or accounting maneuvers, and naturally oriented toward balanced prosperity across global operations.