In 2015 (the latest tax distribution data from the Congressional Budget Office), federal taxes on employers reduced the average income of U.S. middle-income households by about $4,400. As explained by the Congressional Research Service, households "bear the burden of the taxes paid by businesses" because "corporations are not persons who can bear the burden of taxes, but merely legal entities through which individuals earn income." The distribution of tax burdens is an inexact science, but a diverse array of credible sources find that (1) employer payroll taxes are generally borne by employees in the form of lower wages, (2) excise taxes are generally borne by consumers in the form of higher prices, and (3) corporate income taxes are jointly borne by (a) employers in the form of lower profits, (b) employees in the form of lower wages, and (c) possibly consumers in the form of higher prices.