The tax agency’s new approach sparks concern among charitiesThe Internal Revenue Service has a message for charity officials: Cross the line, and the odds are higher than ever that you’ll get caught. The agency has been increasing the number of nonprofit examinations it conducts ALSO SEE: Chart:…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
IRS Warns of Delays on Charity Applications
TAX WATCH By Elizabeth SchwinnMany of the organizations that have applied to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status should expect lengthy delays before approval, due to a backlog of applications, the revenue service said in a notice. The tax agency noted that agents are only now being…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Nonprofit Hospitals Face Scrutiny in Senate
TAX WATCH By Elizabeth SchwinnA key Senate committee is considering whether the federal government should require nonprofit hospitals to justify their tax-exempt status by providing a minimum level of free health care and other services in the regions where they are located. “Nonprofit hospitals…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
IRS Warns Charities to Avoid Electioneering
TAX WATCH By Elizabeth SchwinnAs the 2006 election season heats up, the Internal Revenue Service is intensifying its scrutiny of churches and charities that are involved in political campaigns. The revenue service said it is concerned that a growing number of nonprofit groups are overstepping legal…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Charity Leaders Seek to Decipher New Rules Designed to Curb Abuses
The new tax law signed by President Bush last month contains numerous provisions designed to curb ALSO SEE:Article: New Law Challenges Fund RaisersArticle: How the New Tax Law Affects Charities: Online Sources of InformationArticle: Fund-Raising Experts Offer Tips on Seeking IRA Gifts Under New Law…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
New Law Challenges Fund Raisers
Charities discover limits in measure to stimulate givingJust days after Congress passed a sweeping new tax law last month, Jeff Comfort, a fund raiser at ALSO SEE:Article: How the New Tax Law Affects Charities: Online Sources of InformationArticle: Fund-Raising Experts Offer Tips on Seeking IRA…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
‘Forbes’: Stem-Cell Research Depends on Private Donors
By Elizabeth Schwinn The $25-million gift to the University of Southern California from the billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad is just one of several recent large private donations that support human embryonic stem-cell research, reports Forbes magazine (September 4). Private donors — including…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Charity Coalition Helps Shut Down Katrina Landfill
Uncovered dump trucks full of twisted metal, crumbling drywall, and other Hurricane Katrina ALSO SEE:Special Report: Rebuilding the World a Storm Destroyed debris no longer rumble through Village de l’Est, in New Orleans, raising dust and shedding trash on the way to a 100-acre landfill off Chef…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Housing Group Founder Sues Tax Agency
TAX WATCH A financial deal involving a Sacramento housing charity has led to battles at the Internal Revenue Service and in the California courts. Don F. Harris, who founded Nehemiah Corporation, a nonprofit provider of down-payment assistance, said in a petition to the U.S. Tax Court that he had…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Court Rules Against IRS in Health-Charity Case
TAX WATCH A federal appeals court has dealt a significant blow to the Internal Revenue Service in its efforts to crack down on charity officials and companies that receive improper financial benefits from their connections to a tax-exempt organization. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor