I wonder how much coverage this story will get. It was buried on page 13 of The New York Times business section. But, it's a good window into what the Chamber of Commerce has been up to--and why we need complete public financing of elections:
Group Claims U.S. Chamber Broke Tax Laws By LYNNLEY BROWNING
The United States Chamber of Commerce violated tax laws by failing to report tens of millions of dollars spent to sway state and federal elections from 2000 through 2004, according to a nonprofit watchdog organization that filed a complaint yesterday with the Internal Revenue Service.
The watchdog group, Public Citizen, cited internal records, corporate documents and media reports as the basis for its assertions about the chamber, one of Washington’s most powerful trade and lobbying groups, and its affiliate, the Institute for Legal Reform.
The complaint, in the form of a letter requesting a formal review of the two organizations by the I.R.S.’s criminal division, comes amid heightened scrutiny by regulators and government officials of tax abuses involving nonprofit organizations.
Under federal law, 501(c) groups like the chamber and its affiliate are allowed to engage in limited campaign activities. But they must report to the I.R.S. any money spent on such work or any investment income.
The rest of the story is here.
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