If you added it all up, what would it be?
From this link you can get a “net dividend” income amount. It shows about $347 and $374 billion in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
Accoridng to this explanation, the net dividend amount includes dividends received from foreign companies but excludes dividends paid to foreign people. Hopefully, this adjustment will not distort the numbers too much for your purposes.
It also excludes dividends paid to companies since a company like Microsoft may pay dividends within its group of companies in order to have enough cash in the top company to pay dividends to the shareholders. Those dividends within the controlled group would be excluded.
One of my favorite Milton Friedman observations is that corporations can’t pay taxes any more than a building can pay taxes. Only people pay taxes. Actually, it is my favorite, because I can’t name another one.
But is it OK for corporations to get tax credits? If only people pay taxes should it stand to reason only people should receive the benefits of those taxes?
Milton Friedman is very smart, but sometimes says things that are very stupid.