Posted on 07/22/2014 2:07:59 PM PDT by Faith Presses On
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has reached a settlement with a prominent atheist organization, agreeing to crack down churches and religious groups for infringements of its prohibition against ‘electioneering.’
As previously reported, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF), headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, sued the IRS in 2012, asserting that many non-profit religious organizations have been “blatantly and deliberately flaunting … electioneering restrictions,” but the government has not enforced its rules pertaining to the matter.
According to the IRS website, “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. The prohibition applies to all campaigns including campaigns at the federal, state and local level. Violation of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes.”
However, while candidates may not be promoted or opposed, churches and ministries that obtain 501 (c)(3) status may speak out on political and moral issues and/or generally encourage others to vote.
(Excerpt) Read more at christiannews.net ...
Will they send it spies? I’m intrigued.
This IRS will do more for a flat tax than any media campaign.
No doubt an agreement was made between Obama’s Justice Department and the atheists only after prolonged and difficult negotiations.
Isn’t that special ... Church lady style.
Note the clever use of a “ settlement” with a party that is not the subject of the newly- announced spying or penalties or enforcement actions The real parties in interest were not signatories to this settlement. A misuse of legal process
And here comes selective enforcement. No chance of this affecting Rev. Jackson, Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
TRANSLATION: DOJ had to find someone had to be found to take dictation.
The rule prohibiting churches from advocating for any candidate is unconstitutional.
Maybe God will intervene and strike lightning upon all IRS buildings and turn the employees into dust.
Kinda like Sodom and Gomorrah.
“blatantly and deliberately flaunting … electioneering restrictions”
Uh, I b’lieve that would be “flouting” (openly disregarding), rather than “flaunting” (openly displaying”. Journalism...
“This IRS will do more for a flat tax than any media campaign.”
Congressmen make their “donations” by manipulating the tax code for interested parties. That’s why it is in hundreds of volumes and makes no sense whatsoever. Congress will never give up the power associated with having the IRS the way it is now. The rest of us will just have to suffer.
My advice to churches is to pay the tax and speak freely about the injustice of taxing speech, abortion, gay marriage, etc.
You must think the constitution says something like:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
It should be fun watching the IRS go in a shut down churches.
From your keyboard to God’s eyes.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. . .
. . . except when the speech is religious or conservatively political, the press is religious or in any way conservatives, or the assembly is religious or conservative, or the petition to the government is religious or conservative, or otherwise offensive to anyone not religious or conservative. — The Enlightened Progressive first of the co-equal (and not assumed by position to be of more importance than any other) Amendments to the Suggestions of Recommended Whims for the Dictator of the United Satrapies of America (and whomever else we can apply them to).
I was thinking of getting rid of the income tax and going to a national sales tax. Anyway of castrating the IRS.
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