National Law Review: Beneficiaries of $14.4 Billion Over Last Decade, Tax Lobbyists Ready for Trump Bonanza

About 4,000 registered lobbyists work on tax issues in the nation’s capital, but spending is highly concentrated among large multinational conglomerates and trade organizations. Fifteen companies and organizations, ranging from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the American Association of Retired Persons, have spent more than $2.7 billion while lobbying on tax issues since 2008, according to the our analysis.

The lobbying activity has coincided with a continuing slide in the percentage of federal revenues collected from corporate income taxes. During the 1950s, corporate taxes made up 28 percent of federal revenue. By 2015, the corporate share had fallen to roughly 11 percent. Individual income tax receipts have remained relatively stable, accounting for almost half of federal receipts.

Deductions benefitting specific industries — and in some cases, specific companies — have helped push down corporate tax collections. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy reported in March that 100 of 258 biggest U.S. companies paid no tax during at least one year between 2008 and 2015. At least 18 companies, including General Electric and Priceline, incurred either no tax burden or received a net refund during the entire period, according to the institute’s report. Read more

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