Wednesday, May 29, 2013

IRS : ....AND NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY

What a difference two weeks can make!  Less than two weeks ago, the IRS was getting blasted in the media and in Congress for looking closely at applications for 501c4 status from conservative organizations.  Here is a May 16th OP-ED article from the NYTIMES about the “brouhaha.” 


As the article eloquently and correctly states, the problem is not that the IRS was looking closely at the “Tea Party” applicants for 501c4 status.  The problem is that the IRS was not--and is not--looking closely at ALL applicants and ALL current 501c4 organizations to impartially determine if they ALL legally qualify for the rights and privileges of 501c4 status.   

And sure enough, here is a front page NYTIMES article from two days (May 27th) reporting that many of the new conservative applicants were NOT worthy of the 501c4 status because their primary purpose was to influence the outcome of specific 2012 election contests. 


If we want our governmental institutions to function properly, we have to adequately fund them.  Under capitalized organizations—whether for profit businesses, nonprofits, or government agencies—will frequently underperform.   The nonprofit sector needs to protect the public trust that it enjoys and depends upon by supporting adequate funding of the IRS so it can uniformly enforce its own laws and regulations.  Thoughts? 

1 comment:

  1. Agreed! The IRS is an important part of the nonprofit community, and it has an important role to play in ensuring that this sector remains trusted and trustworthy.

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