The tax agency singled out both conservative and liberal groups seeking tax-exempt status for extra scrutiny.
Some nonprofits, including the NAACP, can operate different divisions subject to different IRS rules but with the same branding.
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Social welfare groups have become more common – and more controversial – in recent years. Fixing gaps in the oversight of this kind of nonprofit will take bipartisan action.
Who enforces regulations that bar churches from engaging in politics?
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President Trump claims that churches suffer from the over-regulation of their political speech. In reality, oversight is lax for religious groups and secular tax-exempt nonprofits alike.
Trump’s tax plan may make it harder to win the ‘Fair Tax Game.’
Reuters/Joshua Roberts
The administration’s plan to significantly cut the tax rate on so-called pass-through entities will likely lead to creative tax planning and outright evasion, damaging faith in the system.
So many forms, so little time.
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As tax day approaches, here’s a primer on how your dollars help fund the U.S. government, and how your share has probably increased.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan are giving billions to charity through their donor-advised fund instead of a traditional foundation.
Jeff Chiu/AP Photo
As these tax-exempt vehicles transform philanthropy, they’re drawing more scrutiny. Will Congress or the Trump administration tinker with the rules that encouraged their rapid growth?
Lyndon Johnson, who was friends with evangelist Billy Graham, wasn’t targeting religious groups when he pushed his eponymous amendment in 1954.
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President Trump recently repeated his pledge to eliminate the 63-year-old law, which bans charities from engaging in political activities, at the National Prayer Breakfast.
Given Trump’s substantial conflicts of interest, the foundation’s admission of self-dealing should sound a warning to both the president-elect and voters as he takes the oath of office.
The IRS is friendlier than you think.
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Research suggests some features of tax software can lead us to make more aggressive judgments when we file our returns, which could make an audit more likely.
Federal computer systems are under near-constant attack from hackers and cyberthieves. Is our information protected well enough?
Colin
Nir Kshetri, University of North Carolina – Greensboro
Federal networks need stronger cybersecurity measures than most organizations, but have not yet gotten the budget or staffing commitments that would protect them properly.
Tick tock, tick tock.
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