editor
2,354
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
ATR has also received money directly from the Kochs. 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>
===Ronald Reagan Legacy Project===
===Property Rights Alliance===
===Alliance for Worker Freedom===
===The Media Freedom Project===
===The American Shareholders Project===
{{Template:Koch Related SW Articles}}
reverting
{{#badges: Koch Exposed | AEX}}Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) is an anti-tax lobbying ostensibly a group that pushes for lower taxes founded in 1985 by [[Grover Norquist]], whom the ''New York Times'' has called "one of the Republican Party's most influential policy strategists."<ref name="shenon">Philip Shenon, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/politics/10abramoff.html $25,000 to Lobby Group Is Tied to Access to Bush]," ''New York Times'', March 10, 2006. Accessed July 8, 2014.</ref> ATR It has close ties to the [[Republican Party]] and has frequently allied itself with the [[tobacco industry]]. ATR describes itself as a group that "believes in a system in which taxes are simpler, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today. The government's power to control one's life derives from its power to tax. We believe that power should be minimized."<ref>Americans for Tax Reform, [http://www.atr.org/about About Americans for Tax Reform], organization website, accessed May 22, 2013.</ref>
{{Template:KochConnection}}
ATR has several significant ties to the [[Koch brothers]] and their network of conservative donors.
===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]] (CPPR) ([[#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 name="2010 990">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 CPPRCenter, a [[501(c)(4)]] group now known as [[American Encore]], receives the a bulk of its funding from the Koch-backed funding organizations [[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===
===Americans for Prosperity and ATR Launch Americans for Tax Reform Anti-Tax Effort in Tennessee (2014)===
In 2014, the Kochs' [[Americans for Prosperity]] and ATR, along with other conservative interests, launched an effort to thwart Tennessee's Republican governor, Bill Haslam, and a small group of legislators who opposed a bill in the state legislature that would have repealed investment and savings funds taxes, the only form of personal income tax there.<ref name="taxsin">Rachel Bade, [http://www.politico.com/story/2014/03/grover-norquist-koch-brothers-tennessee-republicans-investment-tax-104919.html Norquist, Koch group take on Tennessee Republicans for tax sin], ''Politico'', March 24, 2014.</ref>
==Recent Controversies==
===ATR Group Fights Effort to Unionize Auto Workers (2014)The Center for Worker Freedom===
According to its website, the Center for Worker Freedom (CWF) is "a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to warning the public about the causes and consequences of unionization," a "special project" of ATR.<ref>Center for Worker Freedom, [http://workerfreedom.org/about About], project website, accessed May 20, 2014.</ref> According to a report by MSNBC, the center is the recent successor of a previous ATR project called the Alliance for Worker Freedom ([[#Alliance for Worker Freedom|see below for more]]), which dated back to 1998.<ref>Timothy Noah, [http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/grover-norquist-union-buster Why Has Grover Norquist Entered the Union-Busting Business?], ''MSNBC'', February 19, 2014.</ref>
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>
===IRS Complaint Against ATR for Disparity in Political Spending Reports (2012)Activities===
In 2012, ATR claimed, according to documents from [[Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington]] (CREW), that it spent $15.8 million on independent expenditures as it reported to the Federal Election Commission. However, on separate tax documents, ATR told the IRS it spent only $9.8 million on its political campaigns that same year, presenting a significant disparity between the two reported totals.<ref name="CREW">Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, [http://www.citizensforethics.org/legal-filings/entry/crew-irs-doj-complaint-against-americans-for-tax-reform-grover-norquist CREW Files IRS and DOJ Complaint Against Americans for Tax Reform and Grover Norquist], organizational website, November 19, 2013.</ref> In response, CREW filed a complaint with the IRS and the Department of Justice in November 2013, alleging that "ATR and Mr. Norquist violated federal law by deliberately providing false information to the IRS when ATR filed its 2012 Tax Form 990".<ref name="CREW"/>
*the Koch-affiliated [[Center to Protect Patient Rights]]
*[[Karl Rove]]'s [[Crossroads GPS]]
*[[Donors Trust]], a which has funneled Koch conduitmoney
*the [Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation]]
*the Carthage Foundation (see [[Scaife Foundations]])
*[[Philip Morris]] (now [[Altria]]
*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 name>Philip Shenon, [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/politics/10abramoff.html?ei=5070&en=1870d0e1b1c33db4&ex=1149998400&pagewanted="shenon"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]] (CPPR[[#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 CPPRCenter, a [[501(c)(4)]] group now known as [[American Encore]], receives the a bulk of its funding from the Koch-backed funding organizations [[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===
Spokespeople from both ATR and Crossroads didn't respond to ''Pro Publica'''s request for comment on the allegation.
==Personnel==
ATR is headed by [[Grover Norquist]], "one of the Republican Party's most influential policy strategists," according to connected members of the ''New York Times''new [[right-wing]] movement.<ref name="shenon"/> He has close ties to the Republican Party, large U.S. business interests, and both the subsidized and regular U.S. media. Norquist helped the [[Heritage Foundation]] write the Republican's 1994 [[Contract With America]].<ref> "[http://theweek.com/article/index/217015/grover-norquist-the-man-who-killed-tax-increases Grover Norquist: The man who killed tax increases]," ''The Week'', July 8, 2011. Accessed July 8, 2014.</ref>
Shortly thereafter, Norquist led a right wing charge to "de-fund" the left, declaring that "We will hunt [these liberal groups] down one by one and extinguish their funding sources."<ref> "Norquist has also worked as a [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-08-19/news/9508190001_1_non-profits-lobbying-defense-spending A Dangerous Curb On Free Speech[lobbyist]] for clients including [[Microsoft]], [[American Business for Legal Immigration]]," ''Chicago Tribune''[[Distilled Spirits Council]], August 19[[Edison Electric Institute]], 1995. Accessed July 8[[Interactive Gaming Council]], 2014and [[British Petroleum]].</ref>
==History==
"The president has agreed the administration team will consult with the House Republicans and that for my part I will, as whip, in turn consult with these three people regarding the duck test," he said.<ref name="duckhunters"/>
===Ties to ATR Dinner Discussions in the Tobacco Industry (1990s)===
While corporate funding for ATR may have been volatile, Norquist had success on another front. In a letter of invitation to [[Philip Morris]]' (PM) Washington-based Legislative Council, Beverley McKittrick, Norquist reported that during 1997, 1997, and 1998, a series of ATR-hosted dinner discussions on tax issues had all been sold out. The earlier dinners had featured speakers such as former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, Congressman John Kasich, and Congressman Bill Thomas.
"We seek forums, in the media or with third parties who help us fight onerous legislation/regulation, to balance hyperbolic accusations of well financed critics whose credibility with key audiences is greater than hour," the document stated.<ref>RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, [http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/mum50d00/pdf Mission Statement Review], organizational document, 1999.</ref>
===National Campaign Against Nationalization of Virginia State Tax Increase (2004-05)=Issues==
Starting in 2004, ATF launched a national letter-writing campaign to persuade Virginia legislators to fight Democratic Governor [[Mark Warner]]'s plan to raise taxes to maintain the state's AAA bond raising and meet commitments to K-12 and higher education funding, among other purposes. Warner had inherited budget shortfalls from his predecessor, Republican [[George Allen]] and had already cut spending to avoid a deficit.<ref>The Washington Post, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/daily/graphics/virginia_money_022504.html?referrer=emaillink Virginia's Money Plans], organizational chart, 2004.</ref>
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City, the ''New Republic'' reported that Norquist had been working to broker a "strange alliance" between the Republican Party and radical Islam.<ref>Franklin Foer, [http://www.newrepublic.com/article/politics/83799/norquist-radical-islam-cair Fevered Pitch], New Republic, November 12, 2001.</ref> In February 2003, however, ATR weighed in to support the Bush administration's war drive against Iraq. According to the ''New York Times'', "Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, said his organization had sent every state legislature a proposed measure for adoption the day fighting starts that supports Mr. Bush's actions."<ref>Michael Janofsky, [http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/01/politics/01PEAC.html?ex=1045136269&ei=1&en=f7706b72d4e51e34 Antiwar Sentiment in County Seats and City Halls], The New York Times, February 1, 2003.</ref>
==ATR ProjectsKStreetProject.com==K Street Project is "non-partisan research of political affiliation, employment background, and political donations of members in Washington DC's premier lobbying firms, trade associations, and industries." Ironically, it shares its name with the [[K Street Project|project]] by the Republican Party to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire Republicans in top positions, and to reward loyal GOP lobbyists with access to influential officials. That projects was launched in 1995, by Republican strategist and ATF founder Grover Norquist working with former House majority leader Tom DeLay. While many of the resources on this site appear non-partisan, there is also a prominent link to [[Daniel J. Flynn]]'s report on liberal bias in higher education.<ref>kstreetproject, [http://www.kstreetproject.com/index.php?content=KSTProject Is a Dedicated Server Worth What You Pay?], organizational report, (no date listed).</ref> Author of ''Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas'' (Crown Forum, 2004) and ''Why the Left Hates America: Exposing the Lies That Have Obscured Our Nation's Greatness'' ([[Prima Forum]], 2002). The latter is a Crown imprint which publishes conservative, current event titles. such as Flynn, [[Ann Coulter]] and [[Brent Bozell|L. Brent Bozell III]], founder and president of the [[Media Research Center]].<ref>The Crown Publishing Group, [http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/crownforum/ Crown Forum], organizational website, accessed May 23, 2013.</ref> Flynn served from 1994-1997 as program officer for [[Young America's Foundation]], from 1997-2003 as executive director of [[Accuracy in Academia]], and from 2004-2005 as director of the Campus Leadership Program at the [[Leadership Institute]].<ref>Flynn Files, [http://www.flynnfiles.com/bio.php Biography], organizational website, accessed May 23, 2013.</ref>
The [[Ronald Reagan Legacy Project]] is a project of Americans for Tax Reform. It is a project to put Reagan's image on U.S. ten dollar bill and to "dedicate more things after Reagan." It promotes a Ronald Reagan Day and naming landmarks after Reagan. <ref>Americans for Tax Reform [http://www.atr.org/ronald-reagan-legacy-project-a4499 about the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project], organizational Web site, accessed August 27, 2010</ref>
This group works to influence legislation in opposition to the estate tax, environmental protection, licensing restrictions, Federal purchase of land for national parks and wildlife areas, broadcast requirements for "multicasting" and drug importation, as well as seizure by eminent domain.<ref>Property Rights Alliance, [http://www.propertyrightsalliance.org/about About], organizational website, accessed May 22, 2013.</ref>
The "Alliance for Worker Freedom" is a "special project" of Americans for Tax Reform. The name is really a misnomer, as the Alliance opposes unions. At the Web site of the AWF, it says "AWF works to raise awareness of labor union abuses within the political system by educating movement conservatives on the threats to liberty posed by labor unions." AWF opposes collective bargaining.<ref>Alliance for Worker Freedom [http://www.workerfreedom.org/Collective-Bargaining-a2785 Collective Bargaining], organizational Web site, accessed August 27, 2010</ref> AWF opposes the Employee Free Choice Act.<ref>Alliance for Worker Freedom [http://www.workerfreedom.org/Card-Check--The-Employee-Free-Choice-Act-a2784 The Employee Free Choice Act], organizational Web site, accessed August 27, 2010</ref>
The Media Freedom Project was a partner project of Americans for Tax Reform, operating from a now defunct website.<ref>Media Freedom Project, [http://web.archive.org/web/20090126123012/http://mediafreedomproject.org/ Home], organizational website - accessed by the Wayback Machine, archived January 26, 2009.</ref>
This now defunct project had the mission of providing a "voice to people...in the public policy debates that impact" savings and investments. This included opposition to the estate tax and a "fairer, simpler", e.g. less progressive tax rate. Other former endeavors included, fighting net neutrality, opposing limitations on "grassroots" internet lobbying, extending lower taxes on capital gains and dividends, supporting Samuel Alito for Supreme Court, and supporting the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).In their words, "Approving CAFTA will reward the democracies in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic for rejecting the Communists, and will send the message to the region and the world that those who adopt free market policies will prosper, and those who adopt Leftist anti-American protectionist policies will fail."{{fact}}
===Related SourceWatch articles===
*[[Americans for Tax Reform and Jack Abramoff]]
*[[Americans for Tax Reform and Big Tobacco]]
*[[Americans for Prosperity]]
*[[Koch brothers]]
*[[In Defense of Freedom Coalition]]
*[[Media Freedom Project]]
