CREW FILES IRS COMPLAINT AGAINST ANTI-CHOICE, ABSTINENCE-ONLY ORGS – ALPHA CENTER AND NATIONAL ABSTINENCE CLEARINGHOUSE

26 Jul 2006 // Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) today filed an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) complaint against the Alpha Center and the National Abstinence Clearinghouse (NAC), two Sioux Falls, South Dakota conservative, non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations led by President Leslie Unruh. The complaint asks the IRS to investigate activities by the groups which violate federal tax law and revoke the groups’ tax-exempt status.

The complaint alleges that the organizations violated federal law by failing to report their lobbying activities. Federal tax law limits a public charity’s lobbying activity such that “no substantial part” of its activities may be for attempting, to influence legislation.

Both NAC and Alpha Center claimed on their 990 tax forms that they engaged in no lobbying activities. Yet, despite these assertions, Ms. Unruh, acting in her official capacity, has repeatedly been quoted in newspaper reports as lobbying legislators to fund abstinence education programs and to ban abortion.