Wage Expense

What it costs a corporation to pay its employees' wages. Duh.

Accountants track this number carefully, because it's such a misleading term. It costs a company some $65,000 to pay its employee $52,000 when you add in benefits, pension, health care, and other load factors. That employee then pays some 12 grand and change in taxes to net $40,000 from the initial cost to the company of $65,000.

As Pete Seeger sang, "Where have all the taxes gone? Long time passing..."