that's not really the same thing. the football player didn't realize a loss in any of those years, at least not in the same way that a company can. they just ma

that's not really the same thing. the football player didn't realize a loss in any of those years, at least not in the same way that a company can. they just made less money over time. the real difference here is there are no marginal brackets for taxes paid by a company. it makes sense that companies are taxed differently than individuals. corporate revenues and assets ultimately end up in the pockets of real people, either as wages or capital gains. that said, I do think you make a good point about income tax. it would be more fair if there were some smoothing over time. another example of someone who might get screwed is a contractor with highly variable income. if I make $75k every year, and you oscillate back and forth between $25k and $125k, you pay a lot more income tax for no real reason.