February 2, 2013
Dear Members of the Securities and Exchange Commission:
The purpose of requiring transparent financial disclosures is so that investors can make fully informed decisions. No less than amounts spent on executive compensation, R&D, or advertising, monies paid for political purposes are expenses that need to be identified and itemized. In fact, it is even more critical: because it is not obvious how or even apparent that political contributions serve legitimate business interests.
I strongly support the SEC issuing a rule that would require publicly traded corporations to disclose all their spending on political activities just as they must on all their other activities.
Both shareholders and the public deserve to know how much a given corporation spends on politics (directly and through intermediaries), and which candidates are being promoted or attacked.
Thank you for considering my comment.
Sincerely,
Mat Wahlstrom