Calls to investigate the tax-exempt status of the far-left extremists at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) are increasing with a new complaint filed with federal authorities. The complaint calls for a full review of the organization’s status as a “charitable” organization. The charitable designation offers significant tax benefits to the organization.
The Federalist reports that the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) submitted a complaint to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Acting Commissioner Scott Bessent, requesting a full review in light of the SPLC’s “hyper-partisan political activity.”
CASA Director James Fitzpatrick told The Federalist, “American taxpayers should not be expected to subsidize an organization that engages in daily attacks on Republicans, compares those who hold mainstream conservative beliefs to the KKK, and who consistently labels conservatives as engaging in ‘hate’ without any reference to any other political parties or ideologies.”
“We believe the American people are entitled to a full investigation into this urgent matter.”
Addressed to Treasury Secretary and Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent, the legal complaint obtained by The Federalist requests that the federal agency launch an investigation into the SPLC over “several serious concerns about [its] compliance with federal law regarding tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) including but not limited to it no longer fulfilling a charitable purpose and its partisan political activity.”
As described by the nonprofit watchdog InfluenceWatch, the SPLC is a “controversial left-of-center advocacy group that claims to be a watchdog of extremist groups.” The organization “has been criticized for its financial practices and for characterizing non-violent conventional conservative organizations as equivalent to violent extremists.”
As further noted by Fitzpatrick in CASA’s complaint to the IRS, the SPLC “liken[s] normal, mainstream, conservative beliefs, to that of the KKK” and labels “political candidates and government officials, only Republicans, on their hate lists or hate watch articles.” The leftist group notably characterized Turning Point USA — the organization founded by the recently assassinated Charlie Kirk — as a “hard right” group that embraces “white nationalist” conspiracies.
****
Fitzpatrick went on to note that the SPLC’s status as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt “charitable” organization allows it to “raise money or financing while avoiding state and federal income taxes, unemployment taxes, and in some cases property or other state taxes.” This also means that donors’ financial contributions to the group can be tax deductible.
A few months before Charlie Kirk’s political assassination, SPLC’s “Year in Hate and Extremism” report, named Turning Point USA (TPUSA) a “hate group.”
Kirk responded to the ridiculous allegations.
The SPLC has added Turning Point to their ridiculous “hate group” list, right next to the KKK and neo-Nazis, a cheap smear from a washed-up org that’s been fleecing scared grandmas for decades. They somehow still rake in over $100 million a year peddling their “hate map”…
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 25, 2025
Last week, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the Bureau officially severed all ties with the far-left smear machine.
Director Patel shared on X, “The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine. Their so-called ‘hate map’ has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence. That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership.”
“In April, during our Anti-Christian Bias Panel, I made it clear that the FBI will never rely on politicized or agenda-driven intelligence from outside groups — and certainly not from the SPLC.”
“Under this FBI, all ties with the SPLC have officially been terminated.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine. Their so-called “hate map” has been used to defame mainstream Americans and even inspired violence. That disgraceful record makes them unfit for any FBI partnership.
In… pic.twitter.com/ZZ9yIkmzWj
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 3, 2025
Read CASA’s full letter to the IRS here.