| Such very different issues. Tax structures are intentionally written to leave openings (like the double irish), courtesy of lobbyists. And it doesn't take much effort to do it. For every politician that wants to bust Google for dodging taxes, there's one that wants to give them huge tax breaks for putting a data center in their state, and so on. When it comes to jurisdiction, the US Government has essentially no power, via the tax code or otherwise, to force Google to pay taxes on foreign profits unless the money is repatriated. The same is not true about national security. Political alignment is almost entirely on the side of giving the government more power for 'security' purposes. When it comes to national security laws, and having your corporation located in the US, you can forget about fighting back and winning. The laws are in place, and they can not be rolled back without a fundamental culture / attitude shift among Americans. It's arguable, in my opinion, that it's dangerous to fight the government on these issues (eg Joe Nacchio / Qwest). That's not to say someone shouldn't do it, but when your personal well being may be at risk, very few executives are likely to put their comfortable living on the line. Lobbying about taxes? Half the government is likely to be on your side when you do. Nobody really cares if you do that by comparison to national security issues. |