Latest from the Public Campaign blog:

The Washington Post published a front page story on Wednesday looking at the plummeting tax rates paid by the 30 firms represented in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, providing a microcosm of the rampant tax avoidance by corporate America.

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The Post does not delve into what might account for the failure of Congress to update to a fairer tax code that would put large multinationals on a more level playing field with smaller, domestic-focused companies, but looking at the political influence of the Dow 30, it’s hard to imagine that their status as lobbying giants does not play a part.

Since 1998, the Dow 30 have collectively spent over $2.2 billion dollars lobbying the federal government, based on Public Campaign analysis of data from the Center for Responsive Politics…