According to the Department of Revenue, 3,088 taxpayers (or SUCKERS! as Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer might call them) paid B&O Royalty Tax in 2009.
Below is the history of B&O Royalty taxes paid in Washington since 1999 (source: Wa. Dept. of Revenue via e-mail). Note: I calculated the taxes paid column at .00484 of taxable revenue.
While $6.3 million in royalty taxes were paid in '09, if Microsoft had been paying the tax on its $18.7 billion in licensing revenue - the state should have recorded more than $87.6 million in tax receipts.
This may explain why Ballmer has so far refused to respond to our call to open up Microsoft's Washington and Nevada tax records.
This also demonstrates the the anti-competitive nature of Microsoft's tax practices vs. other software licensing businesses in Washington who pay their taxes under the threat of enforcement.
Note: It's possible that Microsoft paid some portion of B&O Royalty Taxes in 2009 but the company so far refuses to publicize any data about its Washington tax practices.
