IRS Releases Section 527 Reports Showing $98 Million in Donations

By Kent Cooper

Posted September 27, 2013 at 2:53pm

New detailed data just released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) disclosed $98 million in donations to Section 527 political organizations, primarily given during the first six months of 2013.

During the full 2011-2012 cycle Section 527 organizations reported receiving $548 million in donations.

The IRS activated on Wednesday the ability to download detailed electronic data of Section 527 reports. The IRS had blocked access to this kind of download of electronic data since the beginning of July. IRS problems still remain, and the general public, as of today, cannot search on the IRS website for all of the reports of a specific organization.

Political MoneyLine has downloaded the full file, standardized the names of individuals and organizations and ranked them according to the amount of their 2013 contributions to Section 527 organizations that operate on a national level.

Here are the top donors for 2013:

1. U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other Chambers $1,770,105 (with $1,595,105 to the Republican State Leadership Committee, RSLC)

2. WellPoint Inc $1,350,000 (with $600,000 to the RSLC)

3. Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America $1,255,000 (with $675,000 to the RSLC)

4. Bob Perry (deceased) $1,250,000 (with $1 million to the Republican Governors Assn., RGA)

5. American Future Fund $1,185,000 (all to the RSLC)

6. Contran Corporation $1,100,000 (with $1 million to the RGA)

7. David Koch $1,000,000 (all to the RGA)

8. Wal-Mart Stores $825,000 (with $265,000 to the RSLC)

9. Altria Group Inc. $815,000 (with $690,000 to the RSLC)

10. Reynolds American Inc. $761,000 (with $466,000 to the RSLC)

11.Devon Energy Corp. $700,000 (with $450,000 to the RSLC)