As I'm sure we all are, I am sad and angry about the passage of the discriminatory Prop 8, and also of other anti-GLBT propositions in other states
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Have you seen this?lee_rowanNovember 7 2008, 06:19:50 UTC
This links to a site giving the how-to of complaining to the IRS about the Mormon Church's use of a tax-exempt organization to engage in political activity.
Section 501(c)(3) of US Code Title 26, which governs tax-exempt organizations, reads (emphasis added):
(3) Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.
(The “otherwise provided” clause does not apply, as the LDS Church, being a church, is a disqualified entity as described in subsection (h).)
The LDS church, through inciting its members to donate time and means to support Proposition 8 (resulting in millions of dollars of cash contributions from its members and countless volunteer hours), and in-kind campaign contributions to a group that supports Proposition 8, has now made a substantial part of its activities attempting to influence legislation.
Links, addresses, and specific information can be found here:
Re: Have you seen this?tricksterquinnNovember 8 2008, 02:24:52 UTC
The problem with this is that "substantial" isn't defined adequately. They define, somewhere, a percentage of total holdings that such efforts cannot exceed, but the LDS Church's total holdings are pretty extensive.
I keep seeing this argument everywhere, and feel like I need to play devil's advocate - I'd be more comfortable if I saw people with more than layman's knowledge of this saying that this argument has any chance of working. The link you've provided above does a better job than I've seen elsewhere (and thank you, it's very interesting!), but I guess I'd rather know more about what the church's total activities consist of.
Does that make sense?
(note: this is totally a plea for more info, not an attack on this initiative!)
Re: Have you seen this?lee_rowanNovember 8 2008, 02:38:55 UTC
I don' t know what its entire activity consists of, but considering their money was (if I'm not mistaken) the largest single source of funding for the Prop 8 pushers, I think that could be argued to be a 'substantial' activity.
I'm more hopeful about the people who are taking the amendment to the CA Supreme Court as being inappropriate because it's a revision of the basic equal-rights foundation of the Constitution rather than a simple "amendment."
The instructions are here: http://lds501c3.wordpress.com/
Section 501(c)(3) of US Code Title 26, which governs tax-exempt organizations, reads (emphasis added):
(3) Corporations, and any community chest, fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary, or educational purposes, or to foster national or international amateur sports competition (but only if no part of its activities involve the provision of athletic facilities or equipment), or for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided in subsection (h)), and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.
(The “otherwise provided” clause does not apply, as the LDS Church, being a church, is a disqualified entity as described in subsection (h).)
The LDS church, through inciting its members to donate time and means to support Proposition 8 (resulting in millions of dollars of cash contributions from its members and countless volunteer hours), and in-kind campaign contributions to a group that supports Proposition 8, has now made a substantial part of its activities attempting to influence legislation.
Links, addresses, and specific information can be found here:
http://lds501c3.wordpress.com/
Reply
I keep seeing this argument everywhere, and feel like I need to play devil's advocate - I'd be more comfortable if I saw people with more than layman's knowledge of this saying that this argument has any chance of working. The link you've provided above does a better job than I've seen elsewhere (and thank you, it's very interesting!), but I guess I'd rather know more about what the church's total activities consist of.
Does that make sense?
(note: this is totally a plea for more info, not an attack on this initiative!)
Reply
I'm more hopeful about the people who are taking the amendment to the CA Supreme Court as being inappropriate because it's a revision of the basic equal-rights foundation of the Constitution rather than a simple "amendment."
Reply
Reply
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