EO Tax Journal

1 – Grassley Amendment on Nonprofit Accountability Advances in Committee

2 – Practical Problems and Practical Solutions for Private Foundations

On July 6, I said that I’d have a transcript of the last panel of the May 6 meeting of the EO Committee of the ABA’s Tax Section “shortly.” So from now on I will define “shortly” as anything less than three weeks. Compare this with the IRS’s defintion of “soon,” which is anything less than thirty years. Also on July 6, I sent along the materials prepared for the last panel, which I’m sure everyone has read, but if not, you can refer back to email update 2011-112. Continue…

It’s hot everywhere, it’s the middle of July, news is supposed to be slow, so what do I have instead but one story after another to report. Whatever happened to the lazy days of summer?

1 – Mystery Solved

2 – IRS Alerted to Current 501(c)(4) Problems in 2002

6 – Cockroaches Remain, Facade Easements in Jeopardy Continue…

In regard to Monday’s discussion titled “IRS Denies 501(c)(4) Status to Three Organizations Primarily Benefiting a Political Party,” Beth Kingsley of Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg LLP, Washington, has brought to my attention a 2003 denial letter that I should have included on Monday, so I’m reprinting it today. According to Beth, the 2003 denial letter is consistent with the latest denial letters. Continue…

1 – The Iron Man of EO

2 – Is This the Camel’s Nose in the Tent?

5 – In D.C., Facade Easements Are as Ubiquitous as Cockroaches Continue…

Some interesting PLRs were released by the IRS last week. Today I’ll note the ones I found of most interest.

1 – IRS Denies 501(c)(4) Status to Three Organizations Primarily Benefiting a Political Party

The IRS probably got it right in this private letter ruling (reprinted below), involving an ecumenical ministry that offers a broad range of social service programs to the poor and distressed or underprivileged, but lots of slippery slopes had to be scaled, at least in my opinion. Continue…