Joining a dozen other major corporations, Procter & Gamble decided not to rejoin the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) this year, according to a statement from Color Of Change, which launched a campaign against the shadowy right-wing front group behind state laws restricting access to the ballot and “stand your ground” gun laws. The statement:
On Friday afternoon, we learned that P&G; began reviewing its membership in January and recently decided not to rejoin ALEC in 2012. External Relations Manager Elizabeth Ratchford told us via email that, ‘Decisions about which memberships we retain are guided by budgetary considerations, value to the business and engagement on issues core to our ability to compete in the marketplace.’ The multinational corporation made the determination that ALEC does not help P&G; compete for consumers’ loyalty and support.
Procter & Gamble, a Fortune 100 company that is the largest maker of consumer packaged goods in the world and the largest advertiser in the United States, joins other blue chip companies like Coca-Cola and Kraft Foods in disassociating themselves from ALEC. P&G;’s main competitor, Johnson & Johnson, has not come to the same decision, Color Of Change notes.
The good government group Common Cause filed a complaint with the IRS today contesting ALEC’s charitable tax status, arguing it is actually a lobby group getting preferential tax treatment.
After the high-profile defections, ALEC shuttered its unit that works on gun and voting legislation to focus on taxes and regulatory issues.