Socially responsible companies tend to pay less in corporate taxes

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The Pfizer logo is seen at their world headquarters in New York April 28, 2014.   REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

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Socially responsible companies are paying lower taxes (CFO.com)

Companies with higher corporate social responsibility (CSR) ratings are paying less in taxes, suggests new research cited by CFO.com.

A high CSR score is achieved when a company pays attention to "community commitment, diversity, employee relations, environmental stewardship, and product safety and quality," CFO.com says.

While the average US firm pays an effective tax rate of 26%, companies in the top fifth in CSR paid 1.7% less than competitors, CFO.com reports. "That's about 6% less, after controlling for other differences, that have been found to affect tax rates," the publication adds.

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While the study stopped short of offering a reason for the CSR-taxpaying relationship, David McCann at CFO.com says one possibility is that "socially responsible firms may not consider the payment of corporate taxes to be the best means by which to accomplish their social-responsibility goals."

Intuit's CFO wants to follow you home and watch you work (Business Insider)

Intuit doesn't rely on surveys or interviews to learn about its customers habits. Instead, through it's "follow me home" program, employees observe customers in their homes or workplaces as they work.

"By observing someone in their natural habitat we can determine how often they get interrupted when they are trying to do taxes, payroll, or perform some other task," Intuit CFO Neil Williams tells Business Insider.

"Many people are probably not even mindful of how many interruptions they get or how many things distract them as they work on finances," he adds.

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The program, which has been around since the company's founding days, has allowed the tech firm to maintain nine straight quarters of increasing customer retention.

Silicon Valley exec: 'Maternity policy in the US is awful' and it's holding women back (Business Insider)

The US and Papua New Guinea are the only two countries in the world where paid maternity leave is not mandated at the federal level.

That lack of attention being paid to maternity leave in the US is "forcing women out of the workforce," according to Claire Lee, head of early-stage banking at Silicon Valley Bank.

"After my first child was born," Lee tells Business Insider, "I had six months paid leave at Microsoft UK, and it was full pay. I moved to the US, the center of civilization, and when I had my son I was offered four weeks. Maternity policy in the US is awful."

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Lee argues that greater flexibility and assistance would help more moms return to the workplace. "I would like to see a pay packet in the US that offers to cover the cost of childcare," she says.

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