Global retail giant Wal-Mart, whose lobbying with US lawmakers for access to India has generated much political heat in New Delhi, is in good company. At least 15 other large American companies and entities that have spent millions of dollars this year to lobby for their Indian business interests apart from other issues.
These include pharma giant Pfizer, computer makers Dell and HP, telecom players like Qualcomm and Alcatel-Lucent, financial services majors like Morgan Stanley and Prudential Financial, as also Alliance of Automobile Manufactures and the Aerospace Industries Association of America, as per the Congressional records of lobbying disclosure reports filed with the US Senate.
Lobby groups such as Financial Executives International, Business Roundtable, Business Software Alliance and Financial Services Forum as well as consumer goods makers like Cargill Inc and Colgate Palmolive have also gone in for lobbying with US lawmakers so far in 2012.
Giants like Boeing, AT&T, Starbucks, Lockheed Martin, Eli Lilly and GE have also lobbied earlier with US lawmakers on “specific lobbying issues” related to India, which include discussions on market opening initiatives and support for their sales and business opportunities in the country.
At least three organisations have lobbied on issues related to taxation and other proposals of the Finance Bill presented in the Parliament early this year.
{{/usCountry}}At least three organisations have lobbied on issues related to taxation and other proposals of the Finance Bill presented in the Parliament early this year.
{{/usCountry}}Qualcomm has lobbied on issues related to spectrum licences, Alcatel-Lucent on preferential market access regulations and Pfizer on "issues related to a Supreme Court decision on generic medicine pricing" and patent cancellation in India.