The Benefits of a Relational Approach to Corporate Political Activity: Evidence from Political Contributions to Tax Policymakers
Brown, J. L., Drake, K., & Wellman, L. (2014). The benefits of a relational approach to corporate political activity: Evidence from political contributions to tax policymakers. The Journal of the American Taxation Association, 37(1), 69-102.
59 Pages Posted: 1 Feb 2013 Last revised: 5 Nov 2015
Date Written: July 22, 2014
Abstract
Empirical evidence linking campaign financing activity to future firm benefits is mixed. However, theory suggests that an important aspect of a successful political strategy is a multi-period investment in cultivating relationships with key policymakers (Snyder 1992). We examine a specific setting and investigate whether firms that invest in relationships with tax policymakers via campaign contributions accrue greater future tax benefits. We find that firms that pursue a more relational approach to corporate political activity have lower future cash and GAAP ETRs and less volatile future cash ETRs. Further, we provide evidence of an incremental effect of tax-specific lobbying for firms that develop stronger relationships with tax policymakers via PAC support. Thus, our study links tax-specific PAC support to tax-specific outcomes, providing an economic link for the observed contribution-return relation documented in Cooper, Gulen, and Ovtchinnikov (2010).
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