A recent study of thirty large American corporations reveals some interesting facts. First, all of these companies spent more lobbying the government ($476 million) than they spent on taxes. Second, 29 of the corporations paid no taxes and, in fact, received tax rebates ($11 billion combined). One company, FedEx paid taxes at a 1% rate. Third, the firms donated $22 million combined to federal election campaigns. Third, while all these corporations are profitable, many of them have laid off significant numbers of employees (perhaps explaining the profits). Finally, most of the companies have increased the compensation for their top executives (a few have decreased such compensation).
