Are governments supposed to make a profit? Are governments designed to have "earnings"? Are we to believe that nobody would buy gasoline if Exxon-Mobil didn't sell it?
Maybe they should get credit on their taxes for using a San-Serif font in their press release - it makes as much sense as their "argument". :-/
Their press release talking about paying FICA and what consumers pay in gasoline taxes and the like is obfuscation. It has nothing to do with taxes on their $10.7B quarterly earnings. That is all.
EOT.
Cheers,
Scott.