ceejay
01-31-2005, 12:16 PM
http://www.forbes.com/facesinthenews/2005/01/31/0131autofacescan04.html?partner=yahoo&referrer=
America's personal income skyrocketed in December by 3.7%. And that leap was turbocharged by the one-time-only dividend payment from Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ); the House That Gates Built paid out $3 per share on Dec. 2. The U.S. Department of Commerce on Monday said that December's income gain would have been a mere 0.6%, if not for the dividend payment.
With one of the most widely held stocks in the U.S., the software colossus forked over $32 billion. Compare that to the $38 billion that Uncle Sam paid out in federal income tax rebates in the summer of 2001. Gates earned $3.29 billion from the dividend payment; he says he'll donate his proceeds to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
America's personal income skyrocketed in December by 3.7%. And that leap was turbocharged by the one-time-only dividend payment from Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ); the House That Gates Built paid out $3 per share on Dec. 2. The U.S. Department of Commerce on Monday said that December's income gain would have been a mere 0.6%, if not for the dividend payment.
With one of the most widely held stocks in the U.S., the software colossus forked over $32 billion. Compare that to the $38 billion that Uncle Sam paid out in federal income tax rebates in the summer of 2001. Gates earned $3.29 billion from the dividend payment; he says he'll donate his proceeds to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.