IRS complaints filed against church for screening conservative movie featuring Mastriano

[durablend]

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2022/07/irs-complaints-filed-against-church-for-screening-conservative-movie-featuring-mastriano.html

A complaint filed with the federal Internal Revenue Service is asking the agency to examine whether a West Shore church’s overstepped tax rules for non-profit entities by hosting a film premiere Saturday night that featured in-person appearances by Pennsylvania’s Republican candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano.

The complaint, filed by Katherine Jarrett of Mechanicsburg, alleges that the events surrounding Saturday’s premiere of “The Return of the American Patriot: The Rise of Pennsylvania” broke prohibitions against Christ Community Church in Lower Allen Township, as a 501(c)(3), from engaging in political activity in support of a specific candidate.

Jarrett appears to be one of several people to have lodged complaints.

Mastriano is one of a group of conservative leaders featured in the film, in his case for his leadership both in pushing back against Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2020 pandemic shutdown orders and later in helping amplify former President Donald J. Trump’s false claims that the Pennsylvania presidential vote count in 2020 was “rigged” so that Democrat Joe Biden would win. (continues)


Whatever works to get him behind bars where he belongs....

[SheltieLover]

1. Religious exemption should be removed, thus curtailing interest

[PortTack]

3. Absolutely!!! And, if just a few lost their tax exemption, the others would pay attention

After all it’s not about Christianity or doing good..it’s about power and MONEY!!

[SheltieLover]

4. Imho all religious entities should pay taxes why not?

Last edited Tue Jul 19, 2022, 01:19 PM - Edit history (1)

[DENVERPOPS]

7. I am pretty sure

that private golf courses/country clubs also have a non-profit status?????????.........
If I am correct, it wasn't decided recently but decades ago, and Trump doesn't have anything to do with this law, he just takes full advantage of it...

[PortTack]

8. Agree! Churches originally got tax exempt status because governments saw them as giving,

Helping the needy and lessening the burden of government agencies to care for homeless and those in need. That is long gone!

[SickOfTheOnePct]

2. How is this different

Than Democratic candidates speaking in churches?

Asking sincerely, because there may well be something I don’t understand.

[Nevilledog]

5. Because Democrats aren't standing up in church fundraising

They're also not arguing that the government should be taken by force because Democrats are literally Satan. So there's that.

[Initech]

6. Holy shit, they're not even trying to hide it anymore!

[Skittles]

10. why would they

they know the SC has been hacked with religious nutcases

[Mousetoescamper]

9. The Rise of the Fascist

Mastriano’s assertion that the principle of church-state separation is a “myth” might be put to the test with these IRS complaints. I hope that there are many more of these legal complaints against churches holding campaign fundraising events.

Thanks to pressure from my local progressive group and others, the premiere of the film was cancelled at two venues (a movie theater and a hotel) here in Lancaster County and forced to relocate to the church in nearby Cumberland County.

Lancaster County is a Republican stronghold, but Lancaster city is mostly Democratic. Our city council and mayor are Democrats and there are many liberal/progressive organizations here. Unfortunately, the county has been targeted for recruiting by white nationalist/christofascist groups. The filmmaker’s media company and many of the groups and individuals promoting the film call Lancaster County home.

Thank goodness Josh Shapiro and John Fetterman are our candidates!