AMAZON.COM, INC. | Lobbying Expenditures Disclosure at AMAZON.COM, INC.

Status
Filed
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Proposal number
7
Resolution details
Company ticker
AMZN
Lead filer
Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order
Co-filers
Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica
Resolution ask
Report on or disclose
ESG theme
  • Governance
ESG sub-theme
  • Corporate purpose
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Consumer Discretionary
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
"RESOLVED: Amazon shareholders request that the Board report publicly on its framework for identifying and addressing misalignment between Amazon’s lobbying and policy influence activities and positions, and its Net Zero (emissions) climate commitments (done at reasonable cost, omitting confidential or proprietary information). This report should cover activities done both directly and indirectly through trade associations, coalitions, alliances, and social welfare organizations (“Associations”), and reference the criteria used to assess alignment, the escalation strategies employed to address misalignment, and the circumstances under which escalation strategies are used (e.g., timeline, sequencing, and degree of influence over an Association).
1 https://s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc downloads/2021/political engagement/2021-Political- Engagement-Statement.pdf ;https://lobbymap.org/influencer/California-Chamber-of-Commerce- 5bd0824487d9cdacdc577e0af93089ed
2 https://www.aei.org/articles/what-we-really-know-about-climate-change 
3 https://s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc downloads/2022/Note-on-Alignment-with-Paris-Agreement.pdf 
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 https://s2.q4cdn.com/299287126/files/doc_downloads/2022/Note-on-Alignment-with-Paris-Agreement.pdf 
7 Ibid.
8 https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-emissions-gaps 
9 https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/nations-must-go-further-current-paris-pledges-or-face- global-warming ; https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2023 "
Supporting statement
"SUPPORTING STATEMENT
Full disclosure of Amazon’s lobbying activities and expenditures is needed to assess whether its lobbying is consistent with Amazon’s expressed goals and shareholders’ best interests. Amazon spent $121,820,000 on federal lobbying from 2015 – 2022. Amazon also lobbies extensively at the state level.1 Amazon also lobbies abroad, being accused of shadow lobbying2 and spending between €2,750,000 – 2,999,999 on lobbying in Europe for 2022.
Companies can give unlimited amounts to third party groups that spend millions on lobbying and undisclosed grassroots activity.3 Amazon lists support of $10,000 or more to 588 trade associations (TAs), social welfare groups (SWGs) and nonprofits for 2022, yet fails to disclose its payments, or the amounts used for lobbying. Amazon belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable (BRT), which have spent over $2.2 billion on lobbying since 1998, supports SWGs that lobby like the National Taxpayers Union4 and Taxpayers Protection Alliance,5 and funds controversial nonprofits like giving $400,000 to the Independent Women’s Forum,6 which has drawn scrutiny for “using anti-trans scaremongering” to oppose the Equal Rights Amendment.7
Amazon’s lack of disclosure presents reputational risks when its lobbying contradicts company public positions. Amazon strives to be the “Earth’s Best Employer,” yet has attracted scrutiny for lobbying against workers’ right to organize.8 Amazon cofounded the Climate Pledge, yet the BRT lobbied against the Inflation Reduction Act,9 and the Chamber reportedly has been a “central actor” in dissuading climate legislation over a two-decade period.10 Amazon has drawn scrutiny for avoiding federal income taxes,11 the BRT has lobbied against a new minimum corporate tax.12 And Amazon does not belong to the American Legislative Exchange Council13 but is represented by the Chamber14 and NetChoice,15 which each sit on its Private Enterprise Advisory Council.
Amazon should expand its lobbying disclosure.
1 https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/amazon-privacy-lobbying/
2 https://www.politico.eu/article/big-tech-companies-face-potential-eu-lobbying-ban/
3 https://theintercept.com/2019/08/06/business-group-spending-on-lobbying-in-washington-is-at-least-double-whats-publicly-reported/
4 https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/06/dark-money-groups-battle-efforts-to-limit-big-tech/ ; https://time.com/6182329/the-strange-coalition-in-congress-poised-to-score-a-major-win-against-big-tech/ 
5 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-03/big-tech-political-ad-spend-passes-pharmaceutical-industry ; https://popular.info/p/donut-break-journalism?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email 
6 https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/27/amazon-donated-to-nonprofit-that-opposed-new-antitrust-bills.html 
7 https://truthout.org/articles/dark-money-womens-groups-are-using-anti-trans-scaremongering-to-oppose-era/ 
8 https://perfectunion.us/amazons-lobbyist-spending-breaks-record-amid-anti-union-drive/ ; https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/amazon-poaches-top-business-labor-lobbyists-amid-worker-activism 
9 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/19/top-us-business-lobby-group-climate-action-business-roundtable 
10 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/02/climate-group-pushes-big-tech-exit-nations-largest-business-lobby/ 
11 https://itep.org/amazon-has-record-breaking-profits-in-2020-avoids-2-3-billion-in-federal-income-taxes/ 
12 https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/08/14/biden-corporate-tax/ 
13 https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2022/07/27/abandoning-free-market-and-liberty-principles-alec-takes-on-woke-capitalism-bodily-autonomy-and-more-at-its-annual-meeting/ 
14 https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/09/06/coming-soon-in-ohio-alec-releases-new-raft-of-model-legislation/ 
15 https://readsludge.com/2023/10/03/alec-gala-will-face-protest-from-pro-democracy-groups/ "

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