Johnson Amendment Under Threat as House Republicans Target Law Keeping Churches Out of Politics

[babylonsister]

U.S.
Johnson Amendment Under Threat as House Republicans Target Law Keeping Churches Out of Politics
By Emily Cadei On 6/30/17 at 2:46 PM


President Donald Trump has promised religious conservatives he will “get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment,” a part of the tax code that bars churches from campaigning for or donating to specific political candidates. In a largely overlooked move, House Republicans have taken the most concrete step yet to make that promise a reality.

The Republicans tucked a provision into a draft spending bill that would make it exponentially more difficult for the Internal Revenue Service to enforce the Johnson Amendment, named after then-Senator Lyndon Johnson, who wrote the amendment that became part of a law signed in 1954. Religious institutions that violate the Johnson Amendment risk losing their tax-exempt status.

The language of the Republicans’ provision was approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government in a Thursday vote, as was the bill as a whole, a committee aide confirmed. It will next be considered by the full House Appropriations Committee.

The new House language, included in Section 116 of the House’s Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill for fiscal year 2018, wouldn’t repeal the amendment. But it would block funding to the IRS for carrying out investigations of churches suspected of breaking the no-campaigning rules, unless such probes are approved by the IRS commissioner and Congress is notified. After approval, the IRS would be able to launch an inquiry only several months later.

more...

http://www.newsweek.com/house-republicans-johnson-amendment-630668

[Achilleaze]

1. republican KristoFascism, Inc. on the march.

KGOP is actively attempting to shove it down America's throat, and make democracy choke on it.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Repealing the Johnson Act would be mostly symbolic as the IRA is loathe to enforce it.

Since 1980 and Reagan, certain fundamentalist churches have used their pulpit to advance candidates, particularly republicans.

The only thing left is to legally permit churches to become political PACs whereby parishioners' donations would be diverted from charity and the church to candidates and/or officeholders.

[babylonsister]

3. If that happens, they should be taxed. Full stop. nt

[spanone]

4. keeping their dream of a U.S. Theocracy alive...