Committee Offers Ideas on Charity Oversight
The latest report by a national committee of nonprofit leaders concludes that some changes to state and federal laws are needed to stamp out abuses at charities and foundations, and that nonprofit organizations need to police themselves more rigorously. In most cases, however, enacting new federal…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Charitable-Giving Bills Proposed in Congress
Members of Congress have introduced legislation that would offer new tax breaks to spur charitable giving. One key provision of the House and Senate bills would allow people who do not itemize deductions on their federal income-tax returns to write off some of their charitable gifts. Another…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Donations to Help Hurricane Victims Taper Off at Some Charities
After the initial outpouring of giving to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, donations to some of the nation’s largest relief charities have slowed substantially, even as the Gulf Coast recovers from its second major hurricane, Rita, which caused a wide swath of damage along the Texas and Louisiana…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
New Tax Breaks for Hurricane Relief Efforts Fall Short, Critics Say
Washington Congress last week passed several tax breaks designed to encourage donors to give to hurricane-relief efforts. But many nonprofit ALSO SEE:Special Report: Hurricane Relief leaders were frustrated that the measure did not include provisions that might do more to help charities raise…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
More Than 1 Million Tax-Exempt Groups Are Registered With the IRS
More than a million charities and private foundations were registered with the Internal Revenue Service as of September 30, 2004, according to figures released by the tax agency. The number of groups classified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code rose in 2004 by 45,947, or 4.8…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Theme Park Exempt From Tax, Court Rules
A Christian theme park is exempt from paying property taxes, a Florida circuit judge has ruled. Judge Cynthia Z. MacKinnon said that the Holy Land Experience, a theme park in Orlando, Fla., run by the nonprofit group Zion’s Hope, is closely tied to the charity’s tax-exempt mission of spreading what…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
IRS Urged to Rethink Charitable Trust Rules
Nonprofit leaders are asking the Internal Revenue Service to revise a new requirement for charitable trusts that are set up by married couples, saying the change unnecessarily complicates giving. The rule, which took effect June 28, requires donors to receive written permission from their spouses…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
The Internal Revenue Service has revoked the charity status of four credit-counseling organizations and is considering whether to revoke the status of several more, says Debra Kawecki, a lawyer at the tax agency. The IRS identified two of the groups as A Better Way Credit Counseling, in Greenacres,…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Winning an Earmark Is Not Child’s Play
Oregon charity has tried unsuccessfully to get money from Congress for three years -- but it still holds out hopeWashington Four years ago, a staff member at Friends of the Children, a Portland, Ore., charity that provides paid mentors to ALSO SEE:A Gold RushManna or Pork?Seeking Federal…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor
Charities go after earmarks, despite concerns about fairness Like thousands of charity leaders across the country, Mary Faithful is lobbying members of Congress ALSO SEE:A Gold RushManna or Pork?Lobbying for CharitySecuring an Earmark: What Appeals to LawmakersA Tempest Breaks Out Over Federal Aid…
By Elizabeth Schwinn
Contributor