Google , in an effort to stop Congress from passing legislation that would directly affect them and their income, spent nearly $4 Million, $3.76 Million to be exact, in an effort to lobby and sway opinion in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Tech companies lobbying is nothing new. Congress holds the power to pass laws and bills that can affect these and many other companies. Being that they have a lot of money, they can put some of that money towards influencing a politician and supporting in their favor.
It’s a dirty business, but it happens every single day across all sorts of different topics and issues.
Via Yahoo! News:
“The amount that Google Inc. spent making its political points from October through December is by far the company’s highest lobbying tab for any three-month period since Google’s Washington office opened in 2005. The total compared with a lobbying budget of $1.24 million during the final three months of 2010 and $2.38 million in the third quarter of 2011.”
They nearly doubled the amount of money they spent on lobbying in 2010 which was $5.2 Million. For the total of 2011, they spent $9.7 Million on persuading politicians. Compare that to Microsoft who only spent $7.3 Million lobbying last year.
“Google’s lobbying expenses have been rising steadily against a backdrop of intensified U.S. government scrutiny of the company’s acquisitions and business practices. The focus has been prompted by complaints alleging that Google is abusing its dominance of the lucrative Internet search market to stifle competition and muscle its way into other markets.”
How do you feel about powerful companies lobbying Congress and politicians?