Daily PUMA Column - Commentary by Alessandro Machi

Monday, May 27, 2013

The comedy behind the Conservative Outrage over Non Profit 501 (c) (3) status application delays.




Straight from the IRS codes...

The Restriction of Political Campaign Intervention by Section 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Organizations

Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity. Violating this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes. 

Certain activities or expenditures may not be prohibited depending on the facts and circumstances. For example, certain voter education activities (including presenting public forums and publishing voter education guides) conducted in a non-partisan manner do not constitute prohibited political campaign activity. In addition, other activities intended to encourage people to participate in the electoral process, such as voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives, would not be prohibited political campaign activity if conducted in a non-partisan manner.

On the other hand, voter education or registration activities with evidence of bias that (a) would favor one candidate over another; (b) oppose a candidate in some manner; or (c) have the effect of favoring a candidate or group of candidates, will constitute prohibited participation or intervention.


Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 18-mar-2013

In other words, Non profit 501 (c)(3) status IS NOT to be used by a political group for a political agenda. Conservative groups are up in arms, many doing their impersonation of Jesus on the Cross over how they were denied or delayed non-profit status, when they were CLEARLY politically driven non-profits and not entitled to the non-profit status they were seeking.

One email list I am on attempted to explain how all they were doing was teaching women how to become political candidates. Um, those would be CONSERVATIVE political candidates.

However, the false meme's are doing their part, allowing conservatives the opportunity to orgy flog each other with tears and donations wrought from completely unearned empathy.

wow.




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4 comments:

Bob Harrison said...

I like how you said it-- good direct approach. I'm gonna link to it if you don 't mind.

Alessandro Machi said...

Linking to an article is generally a good thing. Thanks.

The email letter crying over delay tactics was from the same group I emailed a while back asking if they in any way shape or form supported Hillary Clinton.

I bent over backwards because I wanted to add their blog since they were supporting female candidates. But it was 100% CLEAR that they were in support of CONSERVATIVE female candidates only.

On top of that, it's possible that even if they were open to all types of female candidates, they STILL might not be eligible for non-profit status because they are excluding men.

Yet the mass email letter I received was so full of "woe is us", I'm sure it got them a funding boost. Which by the way, down the road, they should probably return since it was attained under false pretense.

Alessandro Machi said...

I just discovered that Patriot Action Network suspended my account. I assume it was for either defending universally hostile comments on their site directed towards Hillary Clinton, or for having an original viewpoint regarding the Trayvon Martin / George Zimmerman case.

Is that something a non partisan group seeking 501C status would do? I hope these conservative groups pay fines on the money they are collecting with ridiculous "woe is me" victimization meme's they are sending out into the stratosphere regarding the IRS "scandal" that is not a scandal.

What is a scandal is crying victim because the IRS did not grant 501 (c) (3) status to politically biased groups.

VIRGINIA BERGMAN said...

Thanks for this info Alessandro. I wonder why the big news sites haven't offered it to readers?

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