Microsoft better-than-expected earnings aided by unusually low corporate tax rate of 7%

Microsoft was helped by an unusually low tax rate of 7 percent in the quarter, which cut its tax bill by more than $1 billion from the year before, to $445 million

via old.news.yahoo.com

The company gets most of its revenue from overseas, said the savings were due to a one-time tax gain and more business flowing through its regional centers in the low-tax jurisdictions of Ireland, Singapore and Puerto Rico