Businesses hate taxes, which is why they love lobbying the federal government in a bid to keep them low, lower or less than that.

And on this day — Tax Day 2011 — the Center for Responsive Politics pause a moment to reflect on the corporation, trade associations and special interest groups that lobbied most during 2010 on taxation issues.

Computer software giant Microsoft leads all others, having filed 50 separate lobbying reports listing a tax issue as the target of its lobbying efforts. Specific tax issues on which Microsoft lobbied would have made an accountant’s head spin, as they ranged from research and development tax credits to “general corporate and international tax issues” to a request for “relief from requirement to file a report of foreign bank and financial accounts relating to retirement plan investments.”

In second place is Altria Group, which owns subsidiaries such as tobacco company PhilipMorrisUSA and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. And you guessed it: the taxation of tobacco products dominates its list of specific issues on which it lobbied last year.

Rounding out the top five most active companies and special interests lobbying the federal government on taxation in 2010 are Verizon Communications, General Motors and General Electric.

Lobbying entity No. of reports Microsoft 50 Altria Group 44 Verizon Communications 43 General Motors 41 General Electric 33 Intuit 33 National Cable & Telecommunications Assoc. 33 Anheuser-Busch InBev 32 Edison Electric Institute 31 Expedia 31 American Council of Life Insurers 29 Fortune Brands 26 Business Roundtable 25 Oracle America 25 Citigroup 24 Comcast 24 ExxonMobil 24 Managed Funds Association 24 Wal-Mart Stores 24 Biotechnology Industry Organization 23 eBay 23 Investment Company Institute 23 Time Warner Cable 23 Honeywell International 22 American Petroleum Institute 21 Brown-Forman 21 Coca-Cola 21 NextEra Energy 21 American Institute of CPAs 20 American Wind Energy Association 20 Covidien Ltd. 20 H&R Block 20 National Business Aviation Association 20 New York Life Insurance 20 Sunoco 20 Tyco Electronics 20 Xcel Energy 20

Because of the limitations of federal lobbying disclosures, it’s impossible to determine exactly how much money such companies and organizations spent lobbying on taxation — or any other issue.

But the Center determines this: In all, 1,882 different entities last year lobbied the federal government on tax issues. That figure sets a new mark for one year, as 1,804 different entities (the previous record) lobbied on tax issues in 2009.

Predictably, Taxpayers Against Fraud, the Washington Tax Group, Multistate Tax Commission and the Council on State Taxation are members of last year’s gaggle that lobbied on — wait for it — taxes.

Not all, however, are massive corporations or tax groups. On the list are names from all corners of the business, labor, nonprofit, sports and even government realms.

A tiny taste: the University of Southern California, the Screen Actors Guild, Nassau County in New York, Major League Baseball Commissioner’s Office and the Easter Seals Society.

View the full list here.



For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: [email protected]

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