Tax research problem--- due in 3 hours

Research Problem 4. Just how common are dividend distributions? Are dividends concentrated in the companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange, or do closely held corporations pay dividends in a similar manner? Did dividends decrease during the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009? Search for answers to these questions on the internet and/or in academic journal articles.

In addition, using data from the IRS Tax Statistics website (irs.gov/statistics), find and analyze corporate balance sheet data (overall and by size of total assets) to provide answers to the questions above. Summarize the data you find in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and report your findings to your instructor in a three-paragraph e-mail.