Legal group asks IRS to audit AFT teachers union's political spending
"A conservative legal group is accusing the American Federation of Teachers, the nation's second-largest teachers union, of misreporting funds used on political causes to the IRS and is requesting an audit of the organization.
In a Wednesday letter to the IRS, a copy of which was provided exclusively to the Washington Examiner, the Landmark Legal Foundation requested the tax collection agency investigate the teachers union for allegedly failing to report its expenses related to political advocacy properly on its annual tax forms.
QUARTER OF SPENDING BY POWERFUL TEACHERS UNION WENT TO POLITICAL CAUSES: REPORT
The union, led by President Randi Weingarten, has been a fixture of Democratic Party politics for years. Weingarten often appears with Democratic political candidates at campaign rallies, and the union has a long and well-documented history of supporting liberal causes, along with Democratic politicians and political action committees.
As a 501(c)5 tax-exempt organization, the AFT must annually submit Form 990 to the IRS. The form asks organizations if they have "engage[d] in direct or indirect political campaign activities on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office" with a yes or no answer box.
The union checked "no" in response to the form's question from 2016 to 2019, according to 990 forms reviewed by the legal group.
"On its four most recent, publicly available tax returns, the AFT reports that it does not use general treasury revenue to fund political activities," Landmark Legal Foundation said in its letter. "AFT also reports that it made no transfers to any related political organization."
The complaint to the IRS alleges that Weingarten and the AFT used funds from the "general treasury" to pay for various political activities, including campaigning on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016, as well as sponsoring an "AFT Votes" bus tour during the 2020 campaign that "mobilized the public to vote for identified candidates for public office."
"If AFT is using membership dues to finance political activities, the [IRS] should immediately assess applicable taxes and penalties," the complaint said. "Moreover, agency fee payers and members should not have to finance political activities that they do not support.""
Now there is a job for those 87,000 armed irs agents.
In a Wednesday letter to the IRS, a copy of which was provided exclusively to the Washington Examiner, the Landmark Legal Foundation requested the tax collection agency investigate the teachers union for allegedly failing to report its expenses related to political advocacy properly on its annual tax forms.
QUARTER OF SPENDING BY POWERFUL TEACHERS UNION WENT TO POLITICAL CAUSES: REPORT
The union, led by President Randi Weingarten, has been a fixture of Democratic Party politics for years. Weingarten often appears with Democratic political candidates at campaign rallies, and the union has a long and well-documented history of supporting liberal causes, along with Democratic politicians and political action committees.
As a 501(c)5 tax-exempt organization, the AFT must annually submit Form 990 to the IRS. The form asks organizations if they have "engage[d] in direct or indirect political campaign activities on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office" with a yes or no answer box.
The union checked "no" in response to the form's question from 2016 to 2019, according to 990 forms reviewed by the legal group.
"On its four most recent, publicly available tax returns, the AFT reports that it does not use general treasury revenue to fund political activities," Landmark Legal Foundation said in its letter. "AFT also reports that it made no transfers to any related political organization."
The complaint to the IRS alleges that Weingarten and the AFT used funds from the "general treasury" to pay for various political activities, including campaigning on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016, as well as sponsoring an "AFT Votes" bus tour during the 2020 campaign that "mobilized the public to vote for identified candidates for public office."
"If AFT is using membership dues to finance political activities, the [IRS] should immediately assess applicable taxes and penalties," the complaint said. "Moreover, agency fee payers and members should not have to finance political activities that they do not support.""
Now there is a job for those 87,000 armed irs agents.
70-79, M
