Archive for September 22, 2008
Moriarty Chamber Confesses: No Tax-Exempt Status
by John Weckerle
Word has reached us (through a local resident who attended the September 9 Moriarty City Council meeting) that the Moriarty, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce has admitted that it is does not have IRS recognition as a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organization. According to that resident, Chamber spokesman Glenn Tillery advised the City Council that the Chamber did not have such status and did not know when it would, and apologized for the “miscommunication.”
Questions regarding the Moriarty Chamber of Commerce’s tax exempt status were raised in our August 26th article, which examined published statements by Moriarty Chamber president Lee Anne Tapia that the chamber was “operating as it should with a valid tax ID number, and as a valid 501-C6 non profit organization.” Our article clearly established that the latter, at least, was not the case – the IRS stated that they had no record of such status. Since then, we have received unconfirmed reports that other Chamber officials were meeting with businesses, one at a time, and similarly stating that the Chamber had obtained 501(c)(6) status. We would appreciate any information that might help to substantiate or refute these reports. »» Moriarty Chamber Confesses: No Tax-Exempt Status