Taxing Our Patience: Is the IRS Finally Ready to Stop Church Politicking?
Have you heard the latest? The Internal Revenue Service has entered into a secret deal with an atheist group to monitor pastors all over America and squelch their political speech!
That’s the latest paranoid fantasy from the Religious Right. The truth, as is often the case, is much more mundane.
Before we get to the meat of things, some background: A lot of us in the separation of church and state community have been frustrated over the blatant partisan political activity that some churches (on the right and the left) engage in.
Non-profit, tax-exempt organizations that hold 501 (c)(3) status aren’t permitted to endorse or oppose candidates. It’s a violation of federal law. Groups holding this status (which includes houses of worship) can address political issues, but they can’t shill for or against candidates. In short, they are not allowed to act like political action committees.
The IRS hasn’t exactly been aggressive in enforcing this law when it comes to houses of worship. The situation got worse in 2009 when an evangelical church in Minnesota that was being investigated for politicking sued the IRS to block the tax agency’s plan to audit it.
The church cited a federal law that requires all church audits to be approved by a “high-ranking” IRS official. The IRS official who approved this audit, the church argued, did not meet this requirement.
The church won in court. All church audits and investigations for politicking were brought to a screeching halt as the IRS announced plans to reorganize and formulate new church-audit procedures.
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