Photo by Hoffmann.

It sure has been a rough couple of years for Pepco. Or has it?

Not according to the Washington Post, which reports that the Washington-area electricity company claimed $270 million in federal tax credits against $229 million in pretax profits in 2010, meaning that the company effectively was assessed a negative 118 percent tax rate. In fact, over the last three tax years, Pepco has achieved a negative 57.6 percent tax rate, eclipsing the federal tax dodging of other big firms like General Electric, Verizon and DuPont. The normal federal corporate tax rate is 35 percent of profit.

Just something to think about the next time you’re sitting around in the dark. (For a more national take on this story, check out Gothamist’s post on the news.)