Haley Barbour lobbying for the online sales tax he championed in office

Back on K Street after nearly a decade-long absence, Haley Barbour is lobbying for an online sales tax he championed as Mississippi governor. The Republican power player has registered to lobby for six clients at BGR Group, the K Street firm he co-founded in 1991.

Registrations and first-quarter reports filed since Friday show Barbour is lobbying for Chevron, Southern Company Services, the Mortgage Insurance Companies of America, Tenax Aerospace, the Canadian National Railroad and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), which is pushing for an online sales tax. The companies and trade groups are the first lobbying clients Barbour has taken on since returning to BGR after leaving the governor’s office in January. One of Barbour’s colleagues at BGR said the ex-governor has long supported the rights of states to make decisions about taxes.