Local Tea Party Group Says They Have Been Targeted by the IRS
REDDING, Calif. - News that the Internal Revenus Service has been targeting certain conservative groups and slowing down, or altogether preventing them from getting tax-exempt status doesn't surprise the Redding Tea Party Patriots.
They say they've been trying to gain non-profit status for more than three years, and they're still waiting.
Mark Kent, treasurer of the Redding Tea Party Patriots, says he began the process to get the group recognized as a non-profit to educate, not advocate.
Kent says for three and a half years they've been met with uncalled-for scrutiny from the federal government at every turn, simply because they're political beliefs oppose the powers that be.
The Tea Party Patriots would like to become affiliated with P.E.C.A.N., or "Patriots Educating Concerned Americans."
It is an organization that helps Tea Party Groups thrive, but Redding has to be formally recognized by the government., and that hasn't happened yet.
