Maybe it&#x27;s because of coming from a European background, but this kind of questions are quite baffling for me. I know you mean well, but I find that the idea that corporations do this kind of thing doesn&#x27;t need any more proof than the fact that the earth is round.<p>If one follows the news, there are constant reminders of this kind of lobbying going on (corporations asking for special treatment, especially when it comes to taxes) for a whole century. Besides a lot of this is done right out in the open. I mean coorporate lobbying was invented exactly for that -- to push governments for favorable laws, special treatment, laxer environmental and other protections, etc. On top of that, there are all kinds of under-the-table deals (with lots of them exposed frequently) with politicians and corporations.<p>That said, here are some pointers to the issue. First the general Wikipedia article:<p>A number of published studies showed lobbying expenditures can yield great financial returns. For example, a study of the 50 firms that spent the most on lobbying relative to their assets compared their financial performance against that of the S&amp;P 500 in the stock market concluded that spending on lobbying was a &quot;spectacular investment&quot; yielding &quot;blistering&quot; returns comparable to a high-flying hedge fund, even despite the financial downturn of the past few years. A 2011 meta-analysis of previous research findings found a positive correlation between corporate political activity and firm performance. Finally, a 2009 study found that lobbying brought a substantial return on investment, as much as 22,000% in some cases.
<a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Lobbying#United_States" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Lobbying#United_States</a><p>And the US specific one: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Lobbying_in_the_United_States" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Lobbying_in_the_United_States</a><p>The Atlantic: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2015&#x2F;04&#x2F;how-corporate-lobbyists-conquered-american-democracy&#x2F;390822&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theatlantic.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;archive&#x2F;2015&#x2F;04&#x2F;how-corp...</a><p>The Guardian: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;politics&#x2F;2014&#x2F;mar&#x2F;12&#x2F;lobbying-10-ways-corprations-influence-government" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;politics&#x2F;2014&#x2F;mar&#x2F;12&#x2F;lobbying-10-...</a><p>National Review: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nationalreview.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;421664&#x2F;corporate-lobbying-ultimate-tragedy-commons-lee-drutman" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nationalreview.com&#x2F;article&#x2F;421664&#x2F;corporate-lobby...</a><p>Fortune: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;fortune.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;09&#x2F;04&#x2F;lobbying-corporate-washington&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;fortune.com&#x2F;2015&#x2F;09&#x2F;04&#x2F;lobbying-corporate-washington&#x2F;</a><p>Economist: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.economist.com&#x2F;node&#x2F;21553020" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.economist.com&#x2F;node&#x2F;21553020</a><p>Forbes: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;chrisbarth&#x2F;2011&#x2F;12&#x2F;14&#x2F;29-companies-that-paid-millions-for-lobbying-and-didnt-pay-taxes&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.forbes.com&#x2F;sites&#x2F;chrisbarth&#x2F;2011&#x2F;12&#x2F;14&#x2F;29-compani...</a><p>Oxford University Press: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;The-Business-America-Lobbying-Corporations&#x2F;dp&#x2F;0190215518" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;The-Business-America-Lobbying-Corporat...</a><p>Lawrence Lessig: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Republic-Lost-Money-Corrupts-Congress&#x2F;dp&#x2F;0446576441&#x2F;ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=1Q2E4G4AYHVT5C8QP7J0&amp;dpID=51kKHuyAQmL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR105%2C160_" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Republic-Lost-Money-Corrupts-Congress&#x2F;...</a><p>The Influence Machine: The Influence Machine: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Corporate Capture of American Life<p>Lobbying America: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Lobbying-America-Politics-Business-Twentieth-Century&#x2F;dp&#x2F;069114916X&#x2F;ref=pd_sim_14_12?ie=UTF8&amp;refRID=1Q2E4G4AYHVT5C8QP7J0" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.amazon.com&#x2F;Lobbying-America-Politics-Business-Twe...</a><p>And those are &quot;establishment&quot; sources -- you&#x27;d get far better coverage in more outspoken and critical voices.<p>Regarding Apple in particular:
<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;2015&#x2F;jan&#x2F;21&#x2F;us-tech-tax-avoidance-google-amazon-apple" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;business&#x2F;2015&#x2F;jan&#x2F;21&#x2F;us-tech-tax-...</a><p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;technology&#x2F;2014&#x2F;sep&#x2F;30&#x2F;apple-repay-millions-irish-government-tax-deal" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;technology&#x2F;2014&#x2F;sep&#x2F;30&#x2F;apple-repa...</a>