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.
We have also received unconfirmed reports (we are seeking corroboration) that the “valid tax ID number” being used may not belong to the Chamber, but to the now-defunct Greater Moriarty Economic Development Association, reputedly the predecessor organization to the Estancia Valley Economic Development Association.
Absent a full disclosure from the Chamber of the facts of the matter, it would appear that there are serious questions about the organization’s status. Certainly, Ms. Tapia’s statements do not seem to represent a “miscommunication;” they are a firm assertion that the Chamber had tax-exempt status when it did not. That would appear more misrepresentation, to say the least, than miscommunication. Under the circumstances, it would not seem unreasonable for the Chamber membership to require Ms. Tapia’s resignation, as well as that of anyone who knowingly misrepresented the Chamber’s status – if anyone else did so. At the very least, a public disclosure and explanation of Ms. Tapia’s remarks would be appropriate, since she did, after all, have them printed in a local newspaper (The Independent).