IRS Sent Same Letter to Democrats That Fed Tea Party Row

[xchrom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-15/irs-sent-same-letter-to-democrats-that-fed-tea-party-row.html

The Internal Revenue Service, under pressure after admitting it targeted anti-tax Tea Party groups for scrutiny in recent years, also had its eye on at least three Democratic-leaning organizations seeking nonprofit status.

One of those groups, Emerge America, saw its tax-exempt status denied, forcing it to disclose its donors and pay some taxes. None of the Republican groups have said their applications were rejected.

Progress Texas, another of the organizations, faced the same lines of questioning as the Tea Party groups from the same IRS office that issued letters to the Republican-friendly applicants. A third group, Clean Elections Texas, which supports public funding of campaigns, also received IRS inquiries.

In a statement late yesterday, the tax agency said it had pooled together the politically active nonpartisan applicants -- including a “minority” that were identified because of their names. “It is also important to understand that the group of centralized cases included organizations of all political views,” the IRS said in its statement.

[liberal N proud]

1. Hush, the media might hear you

But even if they did, they will only focus on the teabaggers who are persecuted.

[robinlynne]

2. finally. why apologize etc. why not just say that up fornt?

[MindPilot]

4. good point -- now it just looks like back-pedaling. n/t

[deminks]

3. What? To deny the MEdia it's chance to equalize the political reich wing, and therefore make money?

Another non scandal scandal.

How about spending tax payer money on real issues like roads and schools and jobs instead of investigating the obvious.

If we must, I would like to see the number of applicants for each "side". I am willing to bet the left leaning organizations were overwhelmingly outnumbered.

[leftyohiolib]

5. they denied those as too political but then gave one to kkkarl rove-what a fking joke

[groundloop]

6. Too late for truth now, the damage is done....

The Koch funded right wing has done a great job of getting the message out that it's the victim. All the facts in the world won't undue what's been done, the middle of the road voters have heard that the IRS was picking on tea-baggers and that's all they'll remember.

[SoCalDem]

7. They will never testify (won't be allowed to)

a precious few will even even know of them..

NO (no-tax entities) should be allowed to conduct politics...


or


Let them ALL pay taxes, and just be done with it..

Churches too..

[joeglow3]

8. Did the IRS demand social media posts, list of books members were reading and

"copies of minutes for all board meetings from their inception"?

Even if they did, John Stewart hit the real issue on the head. The problem is that they gave credibility to the tin hat crazies who say we can't have gun registries because the government will abuse it or anything else. The damage is much greater than if groups were targeted equally.

Edit to add: the John Stewart piece had a clip saying 75 groups were targeted. Here is three Democratic groups. Do we know that there were 25 times more conservative groups?

[xtraxritical]

9. Probably there were 25 times more applications from conservative groups.

[amerciti001]

10. Everyone, stop for one moment,

and remember that all of these so called anti-tax Tea Party groups were going under the filing of 501(c)4 Social Welfare Organizations. So, what is a 501(c)4 Social Welfare Organizations?

501(c)(4) Social Welfare Organizations: These are organizations devoted to the betterment of the common good and the general welfare of the community. Into this category fall community groups and hobby clubs (gardening, stamp collecting, etc.), as well as some environmental groups. These groups often pursue a broad range of charitable activities but are not organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes. For example, they may provide benefits or services to members only or may undertake more political lobbying than a 501(c)(3) organization would be allowed to do.

Now, what Tea Party Org is devoted to the betterment of the Common Good(?) and the General Welfare of the Community( ... unless its The Village in north central Florida (?)) Wanting to cut, cut, cut everything in sight, to the very detriment of the common good and the general welfare of the community.

Also, into this category fall community groups and hobby clubs (gardening, stamp collecting, etc.), as well as some environmental groups. First of all, any group that's for cutting anything that's for the common good, the first cut is the EPA, they hate the EPA because they can't just dump their toxic waste into the nearest pond or lake or backwater creek, as they really would like to. Imagine a Tea Party group into gardening or stamp collecting!?!?, more like getting there arsenal built up, all the firearms that they can get their hands and collecting as much ammo as they possibly can. That's about the only type of gardening I see any Tea Party group doing, growing more gun violence.

So, are we to believe that all of these Tea Party groups actually were conforming to the exact language of that of a social welfare organization which reads:

[A]n organization is operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare if it is primarily engaged in promoting in some way the common good and general welfare of the community.

Obviously the language of both the statute and the regulations comprehends a very broad category of organizations. As stated in the 1981 CPE text, Chapter G, "Social Welfare: What Does It Mean? How Much Private Benefit Is Permissible?"

Although the IRS has been making an effort to refine and clarify this area, IRC 501(c)(4) remains in some degree a catch-all for presumptively beneficial non-profit organizations that resist classification under the other exempting provisions of the Code. Unfortunately, this condition exists because "social welfare" is inherently an abstruse concept that continues to defy precise definition.

The general concept, however, can be expressed as follows:

Organizations that promote social welfare should primarily promote the common good and general welfare of the people of the community as a whole.
An organization that primarily benefits a private group of citizens cannot qualify for IRC 501(c)(4) exempt status.

In all, I see the real scandal here, all of these so called Tea Party groups filing for 501(c)4 tax-exempt status, is nothing more than a private group(s) of peoples (probably a clan), looking to benefit only themselves and the heck with the common good and general welfare of the community; can not qualify for IRC 501(c)4 exempt status. So sorry.

Really another purpose, of a 501(c)4 organization is that they may provide benefits or services to members only or may undertake more political lobbying than a 501(c)(3) organization would be allowed to do. There it is! -may undertake more political-lobbying- in other words, speak more favorable of one canidate than that of another, their political choice. All the while being a tax-exempt 501(c)4 organization. Cool.

On a more insidious thought, what if this is also to gain government grants to fund some nefarious activities, claiming for the common good, where it provides a community with supervised facilities for rifle, pistol, and shotgun practice and instructions in the safe handling and proper care of weapons. OK!

All in all, the personal at the IRS facility were doing there jobs and the right-wing nuts, those conservatives, got really pissed when the IRS requested more information than they were capable of answering. So, when Billy Bob got this letter from the IRS request such info as:

List each past or present board member, officer, key employee and members of
their families who:
a) Has served on the board of another organization.
b) Was, is or plans to be a candidate for public office. Indicate the nature of
each candidacy.
c) Has previously conducted similar activities for another entity.
d) Has previously submitted an application for tax exempt status; or

Please provide the following regarding your merchandise sales:
a) A vendor list. Indicate if the vendor is a related party.
b) A list of items sold.
c) Your cost for each item.
d) The selling price of each item; or

Fully describe your youth outreach program with the local school district.

Provide a list of all issues that are important to your organization. Indicate your
position regarding each issue.

It appears you have received training (EmpowerU). Provide the following for all
persons or organizations that have provided educational services to you:
a) The name of the person or organization.
b) A full description of the services provided.
c) The political affiliation of the person or organization.
d) A copy of the educational material used; or

Has your organization engaged in any activities with the news media? If so,
please describe those activities in further detail and, if available, provide copies of
articles printed or transcripts of items aired because of that activity. News media
activity may include the following:
a) Newspaper advertisements
b) Press releases
c) Interviews with news media
d) Letters to the editor;

also being informed that if they did not provide this information, they would not be certified as tax exempt.

He had to get on the phone to Jethro, to help him with the answers, and Jethro had to put him on hold, while he called Emmet, who told Jethro that it'll be a couple days or so till he gets back to him and next thing we all know is that the IRS has been targeting certain groups applying for 501(c)4 tax-exempt- all of them had Tea Party in their names. Hmmmmm!!

So, if anyone that needs to, in fact should, go to jail is all of the people that had the audacity to even file to the IRS this bogus and fraudulent 501(c)4 application under false pretense, of being a Social Welfare Organization.