February 22, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
TAX WATCH
A watchdog group in Washington has asked the IRS to investigate the Living Word Christian Center, in Brooklyn Park, Minn.
The group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, charges that the church made improper loans to its senior pastor, James “Mac” Hammond. The same group previously complained in a separate letter to the IRS that a church official was promoting candidates for political office in violation of charity tax laws.
Church officials deny any wrongdoing. “We have gone to every extreme to make sure every legal requirement, every regulatory statute has been addressed. Amen,” Mr. Hammond said in a television interview.
As is its policy, the IRS declined comment on the complaints.
