The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG):
Blair Bowie, Democracy Advocate, 202-213-1971, bbowie@pirg.org
Dan Smith, Tax & Budget Associate, 202-546-0263, dsmith@pirg.org
Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ): Rebecca Wilkins, Senior Council, Federal Tax Policy, 202-299-1066 x 32, rwilkins@ctj.org
Rep. Michael Capuano (MA-08): Alison Mills, Press Secretary, 617-621-6208

"The Dirty Thirty": Report Reveals Fortune 500 Companies that Spend More on Lobbying Than Taxes

To mark the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case - which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections - U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and Citizens for Tax Justice reveal 30 corporations that spent more to lobby Congress than they did in taxes.

WASHINGTON

To mark the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case - which opened the floodgates to corporate spending on elections - U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) and Citizens for Tax Justice reveal 30 corporations that spent more to lobby Congress than they did in taxes.

The report, Representation Without Taxation, takes a close look at one area where corporate power and influence is on full display: corporate tax policy. It shows that by exploiting loopholes and special provisions in the tax code, a set of consistently profitable Fortune 500 companies pay a fraction of the statutory corporate tax rate while collectively spending billions to lobby Congress on tax policy and other issues. Among these corporations, the report also identifies the "Dirty Thirty" particularly aggressive tax avoiders that spent more on federal lobbying than income taxes between 2008 and 2010.

Event Details:

What:
Teleconference

Who:
Representative Michael Capuano, MA-08
Blair Bowie, Democracy Advocate, U.S. Public Interest Research Group
Dan Smith, Tax & Budget Associate, U.S. Public Interest Research Group
Rebecca Wilkins, Senior Council, Federal Tax Policy, Citizens for Tax Justice

When:
11:30 A.M. (EST), Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Call-in Information:
Toll Free Number: 1.800.868.1837
Direct: 1.404.920.6440
Conference Code: 448722#

Press participants are encouraged to dial into the call at 11:30 AM.

U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), stands up to powerful special interests on behalf of the American public, working to win concrete results for our health and our well-being. With a strong network of researchers, advocates, organizers and students in state capitols across the country, we take on the special interests on issues, such as product safety,political corruption, prescription drugs and voting rights,where these interests stand in the way of reform and progress.