Cash bonuses based on ‘performance’ are tax deductable, so just another way of corporations to reduce tax liability.
AFAIK cash bonuses aren't treated any differently than any other business expense. Paying a $1M bonus to an employee or to a client (because you lost their $1M) is the same from a tax point of view.
Payroll is many businesses' main expense.
The company doesn't pay tax on those dollars, but then the employee does.
US payroll taxes are notionally assessed half on the company and half on the employee.