Former IRS Official Demands Investigation of ALEC

[cal04]

The former head of the Internal Revenue Service’s Exempt Organizations division has asked the agency to revoke the tax-exempt status of the conservative nonprofit ALEC.

Marcus Owens, a lawyer at Caplin & Drysdale, who for a decade directed the division responsible for approving organizations’ charity status, accused the American Legislative Exchange Council of illegally lobbying state lawmakers among other violations of tax law in a letter to the IRS earlier this month, Roll Call has learned.

"ALEC has deliberately and repeatedly failed to comply with some of the most fundamental federal tax requirements applicable to public charities,” he wrote. "The information in this submission also suggests, quite strongly, that the conduct of ALEC and certain of its representatives violates other civil and criminal tax laws and may violate other federal and state criminal statutes as well."

The group, which has come under fire for its support of controversial “Stand your Ground” and voter identification laws, is organized under tax code 501(c)(3) and is barred from political activity including lobbying. Although its stated mission is to bring corporations and lawmakers together to craft and promote legislation, the 30-year-old group insists it does not lobby, prompting formal complaints from several government watchdog groups, including Common Cause.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/-215876-1.html?pos=htmbtxt

[dmr]

1. K&R

[agent46]

2. ALEC

is an arm of what was formerly thought of as the "shadow government." These are the people who are systematically introducing fascist laws in state governments across the country.

They don't have to pay taxes.

[dougolat]

3. It's good that the belated light of day has embarrassed some

But the core don"t care, and they have many other ways to cheat.
More light, prosecutions where appropriate, yes, indeed!

[sakabatou]

4. YES!

[TahitiNut]

5. Can they spell "RICO"?

ALEC is a total fraud.

[Zalatix]

6. Actually, they probably cannot. Since education = communism and all that.

[oldhippydude]

7. actually

DOJ-->ALEC--> RICO..the DOJ should hit them for conspiracy to deny voting right... The IRS also!!

[Tejas]

8. Owens > C&D > counsel for JP Morgan Chase

Is there ANYBODY that is not in bed with EVERYBODY?

[fasttense]

9. So, what is the IRS going to do about it?

I don't think they have the guts to revoke their status or even to file criminal complaints. The IRS will hunt the average person down and persecute and prosecute them to death but corporations and the uber rich get a free pass.

[iemitsu]

10. what should happen is that all ALEC supported legislation

passed in any state should be revoked.
we would all be in better shape.

[highplainsdem]

11. K&R!

[mrmpa]

12. I can't find a previous post I wrote...........

but I was wondering and wrote, why ALEC couldn't be charged under the RICO statutes. Just asking.

[bobthedrummer]

13. Much of the info about ALEC has come from Battleground Walkerstand-from Madison

John Nichols, Lisa Graves, John Stauber and many other Wisconsin based researchers deserve a huge acknowledgement of thanks from we, the people.

ALEC Exposed (The Center for Media and Democracy)
http://www.alecexposed.org

k&r

[Dont call me Shirley]

14. The group, which has come under fire for it's support of controverisial

"Stand Your Ground" and voter identification laws

This statement is inaccurate in it's use of the word support. It should read "creation".

[april]

15. Report Details ALEC’s Undisclosed Influence On Wisconsin Government

http://www.theuptake.org/2012/05/17/report-details-alecs-undisclosed-influence-on-wisconsin-government/

Watch this You will not believe it .....

Here are some of the key findings from the new report:

32 bills or budget provisions reflecting ALEC model legislation were introduced in Wisconsin’s 2011-2012 legislative session;
21 of these bills or budget provisions have passed, and two were vetoed;
More than $276,000 in campaign contributions were made to ALEC legislators in Wisconsin from ALEC corporations since 2008;
More than $406,000 in campaign contributions were made to ALEC alumnus Governor Walker from ALEC corporations over the same time period for his state campaign account;
At least 49 current Wisconsin legislators are known ALEC members, including the leaders of both the House and Senate as well as other legislators holding key posts in the state. Additionally, the Governor, the Secretary of the Department of Administration, and the Chairman of the Public Service Commission are ALEC alumni; and
At least 17 current legislators have received thousands of dollars of gifts cumulatively from ALEC corporations in the past few years, in the form of flights and hotel rooms filtered through the ALEC “scholarship fund” (complete “scholarship” information is not available).
ALEC describes itself as the largest “independent member association of state legislators” in the country, but over 98 percent of its nearly $7 million in annual revenue comes from corporations and sources other than legislative dues, which are $50 a year. Representatives from America’s largest corporations, including Koch Industries, Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil, Reynolds, and Altria/Phillip Morris fund ALEC and sit on its private sector governing board

[patrice]

16. K&R and Shared.

[patrice]

17. I recommend that they follow seditious allusions involving the NDAA. nt