Diageo spent $720,000 in second quarter lobbying government on taxes, safety

Diageo spent $720,000 lobbying gov’t in 2Q

WASHINGTON — The North American unit of British liquor company Diageo PLC, which makes Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff vodka and other beverages, spent $720,000 in the second quarter lobbying the U.S. government, according to a recent disclosure form.

That’s up 4.3 percent from the $690,000 that Diageo North America Inc. spent in the year-ago period, and 7.5 percent from the $670,000 it spent in the first quarter of 2009.

Diageo lobbied on free trade, underage drinking, food safety, taxes on distilled spirits, and other issues.

The company lobbied both arms of Congress, the Treasury Department, the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative in the April-through-June period, according to the form filed July 20 with the House clerk’s office.