Posted on 05/14/2009 8:52:10 AM PDT by OneVike
Plano, TX (May 12, 2009)
– Liberty Legal Institute announced today that the Internal Revenue Service found that pastors who gathered in 2006 for a series of public policy conferences had every right to do so and that the organizers of the events did not violate any tax laws that govern non-profit organizations.
“This liberal attempt to intimidate pastors has backfired,” said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute which represented event organizers. “There is now a clear IRS statement outlining these pastors’ events and approving them as valid under the law.”
In January 2008, the IRS began its investigating into the Niemoller Foundation who held six conferences in 2006 calling pastors to stand up for moral issues and to encourage their congregants to get involved in the political process. The investigation was a result of a complaint filed by a politically liberal organization who accused the non-profit group of breaking the law by trying to influence political campaigns. Specifically, Niemoller was accused of “encouraging pastors at the gatherings to mount voter registration drives and turn congregants out at the polls.” The IRS ruled the meetings were legal
(Excerpt) Read more at libertylegal.org ...
Religious tax exempt ping!
Does it cover left-wing political events at black churches?
Like Hillary’s speeches?
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.
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Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15
The standard has always been, pastors/churches can advocate for issues, but not for individual candidates.
The standard was challenged, but survived the challenge.
Of course you can skip non-profit status and then advocate for candidates as you please, IMO.
For later.
That won’t stop the harpies. There are numerous ways to use the tax code to harrass people.
Class Action Civil Rights lawsuit time!
I agree re: freedom of speech. I think all the campaign financing laws are garbage. I think anyone should be able to endorse anyone and not get threatened with tax law violations, etc. And we should be able to spend as much of our money as we want promoting a person or a cause. That would be FREEDOM of speech.
It hasn't always been that way, LBJ got laws passed to limit pastors ability to advocate for candidates, in the 50s.
A Church still has tax exempt status, if they are not a 501 C 3, corporation of the State.
This wasn’t about free speech, it was about the tax-exempt status of the churches.
The right decision was made, and for that I’m pleased.
Now they need to move on to the practice of having political candidates speak in churches. Either every church get to do it, or none. Right now it’s only Leftist churches who can.
Very cool...Onward Christian Soldiers!
He was President begining with JFK's assasination 11/22/1963 until 1970 (I think).
He didn't get any laws passed to directly limit pastors ability to advocate for candidates, they can do that even today. They just don't get to keep their 501c3 tax exempt status if they do.
Absolutely. Keep in mind, though, that GRASSLEY was trying to use the IRS to shut down six “televangelists” with whom he disagreed courtesy of his “heresy watchdog” Hank Hannegraf. Wonder how that one is coming?
LBJ was US Senate Majority Ldr the got those laws passed.
Which televangelists?
“The standard has always been, pastors/churches can advocate for issues, but not for individual candidates.
The standard was challenged, but survived the challenge.
Of course you can skip non-profit status and then advocate for candidates as you please, IMO.”
The standard is wrong, because the government has no constitutional power to limit political speech, by individuals or groups. In fact they are specificly prohibited from doing so by the 1st amendment.
The government uses the tax code to circumvent the Constitution and do something the Constitiution prohibits: limit free speech. They punish groups that exercise their political free speech rights by taking away their money.
Remember, it was Lyndon Johnson that instituted the non-profit/no-politics rule (long after 1913 when the income tax came into being.) He did it to punish/silence some churches that opposed him in elections in Texas.
There is nothing sacred about this rule. It should go away.
In Cleveland, there are churches that handed out “Obama” campaign materials. I saw my co-workers bring the stuff into work and when I asked where they got it, they told me from their church on Sunday morning.
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