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Americans for Tax Reform

1,927 bytes added, 14:59, 8 July 2014
moving funding
CWF's aggressive public relations campaign included several billboards and radio ad buys tying unions to liberal politics and economic failure in Detroit.<ref>Matt Patterson, Americans for Tax Reform, [http://www.atr.org/center-worker-freedom-launches-anti-uaw-a8120 Center for Worker Freedom Launches Anti-UAW Billboard Campaign in Chattanooga], organizational blog, February 4, 2014.</ref> Among other things, one ad depicted the UAW as a mouthpiece for [[Barack Obama]], whose approval ratings at the time were low, and another showed a dilapidated building in Detroit, which had filed for bankruptcy months earlier, claiming the city's economic decline was due to the union and its policies.<ref>Kevin Drawbaugh and Nick Carey, [http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/22/us-autos-uaw-election-analysis-idUSBREA1L13220140222 Thirteen billboards, one paint-shop worker helped defeat union at VW plant in Chattanooga], ''Reuters'', February 22, 2014.</ref>
 
===Crossroads GPS Grants $26 Million to ATR===
 
In November 2013, ''ProPublica'' reported that in 2012, Karl Rove's [[Crossroads GPS]] gave $26.4 million in grants earmarked for "social welfare" to ATR; however, the money was instead spent on political activities.
 
According to ''ProPublica'':
 
:"New tax documents...indicate that at least $11.2 million of the grant money given to the group Americans for Tax Reform was spent on political activities expressly advocating for or against candidates. This means Crossroads spent at least $85.7 million on political activities in 2012, not the $74.5 million reported to the Internal Revenue Service. That's about 45 percent of its total expenditures."<ref name="Pro Publica">Kim Baker, [http://www.propublica.org/article/new-tax-return-shows-karl-roves-group-spent-more-on-politics-than-it-said New Tax Return Shows Karl Rove's Group Spent Even More On Politics Than It Said], ''Pro Publica'', November 25, 2013.</ref>
 
Spokespeople from both ATR and Crossroads didn't respond to ''Pro Publica'''s request for comment on the allegation.
===IRS Complaint Against ATR for 2012 Activities===
*the [[Tobacco Institute]]
*[[Jack Abramoff]]'s clients, the Chiefs of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas and the Coushattas tribe of Louisiana, both gave $25,000 in 2001<ref>Philip Shenon, [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/politics/10abramoff.html?ei=5070&en=1870d0e1b1c33db4&ex=1149998400&pagewanted=print $25,000 to Lobby Group Is Tied to Access to Bush], ''The New York Times'', March 10, 2006.</ref>
 
===Contribution from Koch-tied Center to Protect Patients Rights===
 
In 2010, ATR received $4,189,000 from the Koch-linked [[Center to Protect Patient Rights]] ([[#Funding|see below for more]]).<ref>American Bridge, [http://conservativetransparency.org/transaction/1467947center-to-protect-patient-rightsamericans-for-tax-reform/ Center to Protect Patient Rights Financial Records], ConservativeTransparency.org, accessed June 24, 2014.</ref> The Center's contribution amounted to approximately a third of ATR's revenue in 2010, which was almost $12.4 million.<ref>GuideStar, [http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2010/521/403/2010-521403587-07b65925-9O.pdf Americans for Tax Reform 2010 Form 990], GuideStar.org, accessed June 24, 2014.</ref> The Center, a [[501(c)(4)]] group now known as [[American Encore]], receives a bulk of its funding from [[TC4 Trust]] and the Kochs' [[Freedom Partners]] and is overseen by "Koch operative" [[Sean Noble]].<ref>American Bridge, [http://conservativetransparency.org/results/?q=Center+to+Protect+Patient+Rights&sf Center to Protect Patient Rights Financial Records], ConservativeTransparency.org, accessed June 24, 2014.</ref><ref>Kim Baker, [http://www.propublica.org/article/the-dark-money-man-how-sean-noble-moved-the-kochs-cash-into-politics-and-ma The Dark Money Man: How Sean Noble Moved the Kochs' Cash into Politics and Made Millions], ''Pro Publica'', February 14, 2014.</ref>
 
===Koch Family Foundation Contribution to Americans for Tax Reform Foundation===
 
In 2012, Americans for Tax Reform's [[501(c)(3)]] arm, the Americans for Tax Reform Foundation, accepted $50,000 from the [[Claude R. Lambe Foundation]], one of the [[Koch Family Foundations]].<ref>American Bridge, [http://conservativetransparency.org/transaction/claude-r-lambe-charitable-foundation2012-4/ Claude R. Lambe Foundation Financial Records], ConservativeTransparency.org, accessed June 24, 2014.</ref>
 
===Crossroads GPS Grants $26 Million to ATR===
 
In November 2013, ''ProPublica'' reported that in 2012, Karl Rove's [[Crossroads GPS]] gave $26.4 million in grants earmarked for "social welfare" to ATR; however, the money was instead spent on political activities.
 
According to ''ProPublica'':
 
:"New tax documents...indicate that at least $11.2 million of the grant money given to the group Americans for Tax Reform was spent on political activities expressly advocating for or against candidates. This means Crossroads spent at least $85.7 million on political activities in 2012, not the $74.5 million reported to the Internal Revenue Service. That's about 45 percent of its total expenditures."<ref name="Pro Publica">Kim Baker, [http://www.propublica.org/article/new-tax-return-shows-karl-roves-group-spent-more-on-politics-than-it-said New Tax Return Shows Karl Rove's Group Spent Even More On Politics Than It Said], ''Pro Publica'', November 25, 2013.</ref>
 
Spokespeople from both ATR and Crossroads didn't respond to ''Pro Publica'''s request for comment on the allegation.
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