CA Voters Guide Being Scrutinized by IRS?

[Dolores49]

On Friday 2-3-06, PBS’s The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, the program featured a story titled, “Taxing Sermons.” “NewsHour Correspondent Jeffrey Kaye of KCET-Los Angeles reports on the Internal Revenue Service’s recent scrutiny of churches and ministers who incorporate political messages into sermons.” (source: pbs.org; no transcript or audio available.)

I heard, “…and the IRS is also auditing a group who produced this voters guide for Catholics.” I looked at the TV to see the 2004 Catholic Answers voters guide.

In the context of the news story which reported on the IRS’s “recent scrutiny of churches and ministers,” why in the world is an apologetics ministry among these??

If you know of a published news story related to this - written in 2006 - please post it here.

Thanks.

 

[cathologos]

The short answer is because certain kinds of political activity are not permitted of organizations that have federal tax-exempt status. I 'm not in a position to assert whether the Voters Guide published and disseminated by CA prior to the last Presidential election constitutes an impermissible political activity by CA. I imagine that the folks at CA don’t believe it is impermissible. At the same time, it clearly favored candidates from one political party. It would be irresponsible of the IRS to just assume that there is no conflict here.

In other words, it comes with the territory. CA has 501(c)3 tax-exempt status. That status presumes that the funds they raise from donors are not used for political purposes. If CA wants to become involved in poltiical advocacy – and it’s hard to argue that the Voters Guide didn’t represent involvement in political advocacy – they may need to forego that tax-exempt status.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

cathologos:

and it’s hard to argue that the Voters Guide didn’t represent involvement in political advocacy

I disagree with you here.

Telling someone what the Church Teaches is not political advocacy. Also the CA Guide did not favor any candidates as no political party or candidate was mentioned in it.

You can read into it all you like but the fact is that the information was not there.

Just another attack by the liberal media and the liberal in government to shut us up.

 

[Rand_Al_Thor]

ByzCath:

I disagree with you here.

Telling someone what the Church Teaches is not political advocacy. Also the CA Guide did not favor any candidates as no political party or candidate was mentioned in it.

You can read into it all you like but the fact is that the information was not there.

Just another attack by the liberal media and the liberal in government to shut us up.

Peace be with you!

I agree with you 100%. The Church simply reminding people what it teaches and what is expected of them as members is not pushing a political agenda on them, nor is it favoring a certain candidate or political pary. In fact, there aren’t any mentioned.

In Christ,
Rand