Politics

NOM fails to produce required Federal tax forms

WASHINGTON -- Representatives from two LGBTQ equality rights groups were told Friday, and again Monday, by the staff of the National Organisation for Marriage's Washington D. C. office, that its required federal tax returns for this past tax year of 2012 were not available.

Officials of the Human Rights Campaign and the Rights Equal Rights organization visited NOM’s office to review the federal tax returns that were due on Friday, Nov. 15. Federal tax law requires organizations to publicly release their 990s the same day an in-person request is made.  

Fred Karger, the head of the Rights Equal Rights organization noted;

"We sent a representative to the Washington, DC office of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) first thing Friday morning to pick up both copies of NOM's federal tax returns for 2012. NOM's tax returns were originally due on May 15, 2013, but they took TWO extensions so their final deadline was Friday. 

Guess what? NO tax returns were available for public inspection at their main office on Friday. We have an audio clip of a NOM representative saying to 'come back Monday or Tuesday.'  NOM President Brian $ Brown claims they are 'law abiding, file all their tax returns on time and obey all state and federal election laws.' They do not."

Karger has been filing formal complaints against NOM since 2009 with the IRS and has repeatedly called for a Congressional Investigation of the National Organization for Marriage due to its late and non-reporting of its federal 990 income tax returns.

Monday, representatives from the HRC returned to NOM's D. C. offices only to be told that the forms were still unavailable.

“NOM’s inability to meet one of the most basic accounting standards for any organization makes you wonder what exactly is going on – are they simply demonstrating the same flagrant disregard they have for numerous state campaign finance laws, or is there something in these documents that reflects even more poorly on the organization and their failed work?” A spokesperson for HRC said in an e-mail to LGBTQ Nation. 

“Brian Brown apparently had enough time on Friday to pull together a fundraising email feigning outrage at the marriage equality victory in Hawaii, but didn’t have time to ensure his organization was running in accordance with the law. NOM should do the right thing and immediately release these financial documents that the public has a right to see.”