The Conservative Cave

Current Events => Politics => Topic started by: formerlurker on July 25, 2011, 06:48:13 AM

Title: IRS Denies Tax-Exempt Status to Three Political Advocacy Groups
Post by: formerlurker on July 25, 2011, 06:48:13 AM
Quote
IRS Denies Tax-Exempt Status to Three Political Advocacy Groups

Three nonprofit advocacy groups that had recruited and trained women to run for political office have been denied tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service, the New York Times reports.

The organizations — Emerge Nevada, Emerge Maine, and Emerge Massachusetts — are units of the Emerge America network, which works to cultivate female Democratic leaders for local, state, and federal office. Emerge America president Karen Middleton told the Times that the 501(c)(4) organizations were in the process of converting into 527 organizations, which also are tax-exempt but, unlike (c)(4) groups, must disclose their donors.

^snip^

In a letter to the three organizations, the IRS explained that they were "not operated primarily to promote social welfare because your activities are primarily for the benefit of a political party and a private group of individuals, rather than the community as a whole." Curiously, five other units of the Emerge network have been granted tax-exempt status — an inconsistency that former IRS official Paul Streckfus said was not unusual, in part because the thousands of applications the IRS receives are reviewed by different field offices across the country.

http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml?id=346500018

Emerge Massachusetts is in place to support Elizabeth Warren's run against Scott Brown.   I am in shock the IRS did this actually.

Title: Re: IRS Denies Tax-Exempt Status to Three Political Advocacy Groups
Post by: DumbAss Tanker on July 25, 2011, 08:50:06 AM
Well, the IRS is nothing if not arbitrary.  Elizabeth Warren looked like a completely arrogant bitch in Congressional hearings, the Senate really has plenty of those already.
Title: Re: IRS Denies Tax-Exempt Status to Three Political Advocacy Groups
Post by: RightCoast on July 25, 2011, 01:41:56 PM
somebody at the irs is getting fired for this travesty.