IRS Limits Political Activity in Post-Tea Party Flap Rule

[okaawhatever]

Source: Bloomberg

The Internal Revenue Service created a new definition of political activity in its first attempt to reset the boundaries of permissible campaign involvement by tax-exempt groups.

The rules defining “candidate-related political activity” being released today would prohibit social welfare groups from counting certain communications that identify a candidate and voter registration drives as satisfying their nonprofit mission.

The “initial guidance” from the IRS and the Treasury Department doesn’t answer an important question: How much political activity can such groups conduct without jeopardizing their tax-exempt status?

“This is a very good sign that the IRS is expressing an appetite to do something here,” said Paul S. Ryan, senior counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington group that has criticized the proliferation of political groups that don’t disclose their donors.

Continued at Link

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-26/irs-defines-political-activity-in-post-tea-party-rules.html

[Laelth]

1. Good idea. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[cosmicone]

2. Fox News headline, "Obama shows his dictatorial colors"

He is thwarting free expression of a handful of billionaires disguised as grass-roots activity by using the IRS against his political enemies.

Damn that Kenya-born illegitimate president

[Nanjing to Seoul]

3. Damn that fascist, communist, socialist, nazi, black-power supporting, muslim Kenyan

DAMN HIM!!!!

[elleng]

4. These are PROPOSED rules,

IRS has not limited anything yet, tho they should have, and headline writers should know better.

[Gothmog]

5. These rules are needed

I am glad that the IRS are starting the process of adopting these rules. I bet that there will be a large number of comments on these rules

[bemildred]

6. Timid stuff, subservient to wealth as always.

How about no tax-free political activity. None. Money and politics shall not mix. Start there.

[24601]

7. What precisely are the 2nd order effects? If that means more political activity equals more tax

revenues, then what happens when the government starts to encourage more activity in order to increase the take. Their sad model is the USPS and junk mail: All the crap I don't want costs the least to reach me.

Don't regulations or even laws already provide that political air-time costs less than commercial speech?

[bemildred]

8. I think that is how we do business, pretty much.

Our politics is full of these small time enterpreneurs working particular political rackets. And none of them can govern.

[1StrongBlackMan]

9. I heard a segment on this on NPR …

The opponents were arguing that the rules change “can work to limit free speech.”

My response: “Your right to free speech remains intact. This rules change just limits your non-right to have me pay for your giving someone money to say something that you have no hand in crafting or any control over.”

[leftyohiolib]

10. the law already says no political activity but the irs has interpretated all to mean some

[Left Coast2020]

11. Yes there will be comments, but Darryl Issa will have hearings .....

...claiming some BS on the part of the administration.

[bobGandolf]

12. Good to hear....................n/t

[Sgent]

13. This doesn't change the non-profit status

it just kicks them out of 501(c)4's into a PAC / Super-PAC, which means they have to disclose donors.

PAC's aren't taxed either because they have no revenue (as defined by the 1913 Tax Code) and regardless expenses will be almost 100% of intake.

[underpants]

14. I don't like it

And not because Ryan and Hat h like it.
This says that only candidate specific material is not allowed so broad or one-issue campaigns can continue. Also, by including voter registration this stinks of bowing to Republicans and it definitely hurts our side.

The "IRS scandal" was another Fox News hoax based on victimization. We all know that "blue" and "progressive" were used in the BOLO search.

[ButchT]

15. No more ACORN

Did anyone notice that the voter drive rule, as proposed, would have prohibited ACORN from being a tax exempt organization?

Not only did GWBushCo kill ACORN with an unconstitutional bill, but apparently our "Dem" government wants to make sure nothing like ACORN ever grows again. You can almost hear it: "From now on, we want our voter drives run by the big-money PAC's, thank you!"