Lobbyists Have a New Secret Weapon

The tax plan that Congress just passed was most notable for two things: the size of the overhaul—it’s the biggest rewrite of the tax code in 31 years—and the speed with which it came together. Republicans didn’t unveil the details of the plan until November, setting up a two-month lobbying frenzy as industries fought to preserve certain loopholes, deductions, and other goodies. Some won, some lost.

Among the biggest winners is the retail sector. That’s in part due to the success it had earlier in the year killing a provision called the border adjustment tax. The plan was a favorite of House Speaker Paul Ryan, and it called for taxing imports while allowing companies to deduct revenue from exports, effectively letting U.S. sales abroad go tax free. The rule would’ve had major consequences for the U.S. economy, particularly retailers, which waged a swift and lethal lobbying campaign against it.