May 17, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
The chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means plans to hold hearings on tax-exempt groups.
Rep. Charles B. Rangel, a New York Democrat who chairs the committee, wants nonprofit organizations to show why they deserve to be tax-exempt and what they do to help poor and elderly people, according to the committee’s staff members.
However, the committee will also look at the problems charities face as they attempt to fulfill their missions, committee staff members say.
Charities will find the Committee on Ways and Means — which oversees tax-exempt groups — more “sympathetic” to their work than it was under Republican leadership, said Karen McAfee, a tax lawyer for the committee.
Ms. McAfee said that the committee plans at least two hearings on the nonprofit world. One will be an overview of charities and foundations, while the second will focus more specifically on the services that urban and rural organizations provide.
