[net-gold] UNITED STATES: POLITICS: POLITICAL PARTIES: REPUBLICAN PARTY, TEA PARTY : INDUSTRIES: PETROLEUM INDUSTRY : POLITICS : POLITICS: PRESSURE GROUPS : LAW: LEGISLATION: Conservative Group's Charity Status Draws Questions
- From: "David P. Dillard" <jwne@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Net-Gold -- Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Educator Gold <Educator-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, Net-Gold <Net-Gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K-12ADMINLIFE <K12ADMIN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, K12AdminLIFE <K12AdminLIFE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, MediaMentor <mediamentor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, NetGold <netgold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Platinum <net-platinum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Sean Grigsby <myarchives1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Net-Gold <NetGold_general@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple Gold Discussion Group <TEMPLE-GOLD@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Temple University Net-Gold Archive <net-gold@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Health Lists -- Health Diet Fitness Recreation Sports Tourism <healthrecsport@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, Health Diet Fitness Recreation Sports <healthrecsport@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, HEALTH-RECREATION-SPORTS-TOURISM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:44:55 -0400 (EDT)
.
.
UNITED STATES: POLITICS: POLITICAL PARTIES: REPUBLICAN PARTY, TEA PARTY :
INDUSTRIES: PETROLEUM INDUSTRY :
POLITICS :
POLITICS: PRESSURE GROUPS :
LAW: LEGISLATION:
Conservative Group's Charity Status Draws Questions
.
.
Conservative Group's Charity Status Draws Questions
April 19, 2012
by Peter Overby
NPR
http://www.npr.org/2012/04/19/150984876/
conservative-group-criticized-for-tax-exempt-status
.
A shorter URL for the above link:
.
http://tinyurl.com/cnz3eos
.
.
Yum Brands, the company that owns Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, says it's the
latest corporation to break ties with the American Legislative Exchange
Council a group that brings state lawmakers and corporate lobbyists
together to write legislation.
.
Liberal groups are pressuring corporations to abandon ALEC, and a dozen
companies have now dropped out.
.
This week, ALEC did some damage control. It said it is shutting down its
task force on public safety and elections, which wrote controversial
measures on voter ID, "stand your ground" and immigration reform.
.
But another issue remains. ALEC is a 501(c)(3)charity under the tax code.
That means it's not supposed to do any "substantial" lobbying and its
donors get a tax write-off for their contributions.
.
As a 501(c)(3)charity similar to the Red Cross or a religious
congregation ALEC is allowed to do some lobbying. The rule of thumb is up
to about 20 percent of the budget. But on ALEC's annual tax returns, where
it asks if the organization engaged in any lobbying activities, ALEC
officers check "no."
.
snip
.
Taking Action?
.
ALEC claims nearly 2,000 legislative members state lawmakers who pay
token dues and some 300 private-sector members, mostly corporations,
which cover the $7 million annual budget.
.
The public and private members together create model legislation
ready-to-enact packages that the lawmakers take back to their state
legislatures.
.
Owens says there's a precedent for this case from the 1990s, when he was
at the IRS, and it isn't one that would be good for ALEC.
.
snip
.
"An action organization does not qualify for tax-exempt status," Owens
says. "The regulations define an action organization as one whose purposes
can only be achieved by legislation."
.
That's the argument that the good-government group Common Cause made when
it asked the IRS to investigate ALEC last summer.
.
'A Very Fine Line'
.
Common Cause said that ALEC violates the 501(c)(3)limit on lobbying and
that it serves the business interests of the corporate donors, not a
public, charitable purpose.
.
"We've actually seen their talking points, that are the same talking
points that lobbyists use," says Bob Edgar, president of Common Cause.
"We've seen their emails, the same emails that go to legislators, trying
to lobby. All of that looks and smells like lobbying to us."
.
But so far, there's no sign the IRS is investigating.
.
.
The complete article may be read at the URL above.
.
.
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
jwne@xxxxxxxxxx
http://workface.com/e/daviddillard
Net-Gold
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/net-gold
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/net-gold.html
Index: http://tinyurl.com/myxb4w
http://groups.google.com/group/net-gold?hl=en
General Internet & Print Resources
http://guides.temple.edu/general-internet
COUNTRIES
http://guides.temple.edu/general-country-info
EMPLOYMENT
http://guides.temple.edu/EMPLOYMENT
TOURISM
http://guides.temple.edu/tourism
DISABILITIES
http://guides.temple.edu/DISABILITIES
INDOOR GARDENING
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndoorGardeningUrban/
Educator-Gold
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Educator-Gold/
K12ADMINLIFE
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12AdminLIFE/
The Russell Conwell Learning Center Research Guide:
THE COLLEGE LEARNING CENTER
http://tinyurl.com/yae7w79
Information Literacy
http://guides.temple.edu/content.php?pid=22756&sid=2223487
Nina Dillard's Photographs on Net-Gold
http://tinyurl.com/36qd2o
and also
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neemers/
Twitter: davidpdillard
Bushell, R. & Sheldon, P. (eds),
Wellness and Tourism: Mind, Body, Spirit,
Place, New York: Cognizant Communication Books.
Wellness Tourism: Bibliographic and Webliographic Essay
David P. Dillard
http://tinyurl.com/p63whl
http://tinyurl.com/ou53aw
INDOOR GARDENING
Improve Your Chances for Indoor Gardening Success
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndoorGardeningUrban/
http://groups.google.com/group/indoor-gardening-and-urban-gardening
SPORT-MED
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/sport-med.html
http://groups.google.com/group/sport-med
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sports-med/
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/sport-med.html
HEALTH DIET FITNESS RECREATION SPORTS TOURISM
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/healthrecsport/
http://groups.google.com/group/healthrecsport
http://healthrecsport.jiglu.com/
http://listserv.temple.edu/archives/health-recreation-sports-tourism.html
.
.
Please Ignore All Links to JIGLU
in search results for Net-Gold and related lists.
The Net-Gold relationship with JIGLU has
been terminated by JIGLU and these are dead links.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/message/30664
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/healthrecsport/message/145
.
.
Other related posts:
- » [net-gold] UNITED STATES: POLITICS: POLITICAL PARTIES: REPUBLICAN PARTY, TEA PARTY : INDUSTRIES: PETROLEUM INDUSTRY : POLITICS : POLITICS: PRESSURE GROUPS : LAW: LEGISLATION: Conservative Group's Charity Status Draws Questions - David P. Dillard
