Here’s some data from Q3 2006 through Q4 of 2008 detailing Google’s AdSense revenues, payout and net profit.

TAC = Traffic Acquisition Costs. This is primarily what Google pays out to its AdSense publishers.

The figures below only refer to the portion of TAC dealing with AdSense payout. For instance, Q4 2008’s total TAC was $1.48 billion (which includes payment to distribution and traffic-driving partners, in addition to AdSense payout).

• Q3 2006: $0.78 billion
• Q4 2006: $0.92 billion
• Q1 2007: $1.05 billion
• Q2 2007: $1.06 billion
• Q3 2007: $1.12 billion
• Q4 2007: $1.31 billion
• Q1 2008: $1.34 billion
• Q2 2008: $1.32 billion
• Q3 2008: $1.33 billion
• Q4 2008: $1.29 billion

There’s always a discussion as AdSense payouts fluctuate whether Google is putting the squeeze on its publishers and extracting more of the advertiser revenue collected. It’s not clear how much Google is really able to fine-tune the dials to make its quarterly earning call numbers seem more impressive, but the picture can be mixed. In the second quarter of 2008, for example, 2/3 of a drop in total revenue was borne by publishers and 1/3 by Google, while a slight fourth-quarter uptick in revenue ($10 million approx.) resulting in a drop of $40 million in publisher payout and a $50 million increase to Google’s topline. Naturally, this is the same quarter when advertising revenue starting tanking against all rosy expectations earlier in the year.

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