The issue focused on the fact that many of the companies who sell products to the public are not subject to the same tax treatment as corporations; they can pay lower taxes than corporations. But the law doesn't address how companies should pay their taxes, or whether they should pay tax at all. In fact, it's unclear if there are any laws at all that regulate what companies should pay in taxes.

The issue was first reported by the National Journal and has since become the centerpiece of an ongoing debate over