Preachers around the nation intend on spending the next four months promoting Pulpit Freedom Sunday. Every year since 2008, religious leaders intentionally provoke the IRS in order to make a statement regarding their tax exempt status and their “right” to freedom of speech.
As we’ve posted before, the IRS is becoming stricter about taking away tax exempt statuses from organizations that align themselves too politically.
The situation is a handful for the IRS, who needs to be seen as non-partisan. The catch 22 is that by “cracking down” on what the IRS deems as a politically involved organization, they are also inevitably still making a politically based decision.
The reason that some religious organizations feel comfortable openly promoting political parties is because in their opinion, taking away their tax exempt status would challenge two essential American values; freedom of speech, and the separation of church and state.
While churches have become more rigorous in making sure the IRS knows it will openly promote political candidates, the IRS has remained silent on the issue because of the sensitive nature of the situation.
Unless the IRS takes some sort of action, this type of activity will increase. Why does it matter? Federal tax breaks for churches add up to nearly $25 billion every year. This is money that could help the sparse resources that are currently available to the IRS, among other things.
Are you or your organization facing IRS tax problems? Don’t become a victim. Contact JG Tax Group today to discuss your rights as a taxpayer.
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