The Center for Arizona Policy has offered a response to the Internal Revenue Service complaint filed against it -- claiming the organization doesn't meet tax-exemption requirements -- and that response includes the exact three things we expected: they're atheists, homosexuals, and wrong.
The Secular Coalition for Arizona and No Longer Silent, Clergy for Justice, announced their complaint to the IRS, asking Uncle Sam to look into a few things related to Center for Arizona Policy's lobbying.
The groups contend Center for Arizona Policy is a straight-up lobbying organization, not the tax-exempt charity organization it tells the IRS it is.
As you may know, more than 100 of the Center for Arizona Policy's supported bills have been passed into law over the years, including 13 this year. Three of those passed this year were abortion-related, and they're also the ones behind the "religious opt-out" to contraception bill.
The Center for Arizona Policy pulled in nearly $2 million in 2010 -- the most recent IRS filing available for the group -- and complaints against the group point to "deceptive tax reporting and business practices" after reviewing their IRS forms.
Center for Arizona Policy's response: nothing to see here, move along (and gays and atheists too).
"There really isn't much to say about this meritless, politically motivated attack," Center for Arizona Policy President Cathi Herrod writes on the group's blog. "Rest assured these attacks by those who oppose our public policy positions will not distract us from the important work at hand - registering voters, distributing our Voter Guide (coming in July), and turning out the vote on Election Day."
Herrod claims their books are looked over by an independent auditor, and thank good-giddily-gosh, they pass the standards of the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability and its rigorous "Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship."
We'll keep you updated on developments in this one.
