True North

A new pro-life group in Iowa is involved in a squabble with the Internal Revenue Service over a request for tax-exempt status.

After applying for tax-exempt status and waiting a number of months for a response, the Coalition for Life of Iowa received a letter with very concerning questions from the IRS. Tom Brejcha of the Thomas More Society was shocked when he read the letter.

“‘Please explain how your prayer meetings outside Planned Parenthood are considered educational. Please explain in detail the activities at these prayer meetings,’ [it read],” he notes. “And if that wasn’t enough, get a load of this: ‘Please explain the percentage of your time that the organization spends on prayer groups as compared with other activities.’”

In a Thomas More press release, the IRS’s questions are described as “prejudicial” and labeled as harassment of the Coalition’s rights to prayer and legal protests. In the letter, the IRS claimed they would grant the organization tax-exempt status if its members stopped picketing and protesting outside of Planned Parenthood.

The Thomas More Society believes the IRS could be violating the First Amendment for denying tax-exempt status based solely on religious beliefs. Brejcha is urging the IRS to promptly comply with the Coalition’s requests.

“‘Please explain in detail the signs that are being held up outside Planned Parenthood and explain how they are educational,’” Brejcha quotes another question from the IRS.

Brejcha says the IRS never explained why any of their questions were relevant in relation to the Coalition’s request. Thomas More Society attorneys are handling the response and will take appropriate action if the IRS pursues its current course.

–  One News Now

Over the past year or so, I’ve been researching the shady world of non-profits.  I signed up for a free membership on Guidestar, which is a database of non-profits that allows you to view their IRS 990 forms.  Some of the information I’ve found is nothing short of appalling.

From the Susan G. Komen Foundation (Walk for the Cure, etc) paying their executives a half million dollars in salaries and benefits (are they really interested in ‘finding a cure’?), to Al Gore’s environmental non-profit Carbon Credit schemes, to people setting up non-profits and then contracting out their own separate for-profit business to their non-profit, to organizations receiving federal grant dollars and using the funds for their own personal benefit or to elect or influence legislators…there are a very high number of these organizations that are abusing their tax-free status, and most are accomplishing it through ‘legal’ loopholes.

A person could write an entire series of books exposing various schemes and shady operations of non-profits, and it would appear to me that the IRS is ‘turning a blind eye’ to much of what’s going on in the non-profit community.

So you’ll understand why I’m a bit perplexed when the IRS suddenly decides to get picky with a little pro-life group in Iowa that probably takes in less than $10,000 per year.  Most families making less than $35,000 per year don’t even pay taxes, they get a check in the mail.  So why is the IRS wasting time on this group?  Not only is the IRS possibly infringing on the pro-life group’s First Amendment rights, it’s also obvious that they’re picking and choosing which non-profits get scrutinized.

ACORN is a non-profit that receives millions in federal funding per year, yet they continually engage in illegal (voter fraud) and questionable behavior.  Are they scrutinized by the IRS?  Of course not.  They’re rewarded with more funding and a shot at performing the 2010 census.

Then there’s the  Kevin Johnson/Americorps/Fired Inspector General case which makes it clear that if your non-profit agrees with the ‘progressive’ agenda, or if your CEO is a friend and supporter of Barack Obama, you can essentially get away with anything short of murder.

The double-standard is so obvious it boggles the mind.

Cross-posted and comments welcome at PheistyBlog.