Right Wants IRS to Drop Rule Change for Political Nonprofits

Conservatives are calling on the Internal Revenue Service to abandon efforts to revise its rules on political activity by nonprofit groups, but the agency’s head said it will forge ahead, The Washington Post writes.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said earlier this week that the agency will rewrite a proposed rule change that drew strong opposition from both left and right during a public review period. In an interview with the Post Wednesday, he reiterated his commitment to developing new rules limiting politicking by nonprofits.

“My bottom line is that it’s in everyone’s interest to have clarification” on permissible campaign activity by tax-exempt groups, Mr. Koskinen said.

Liberal critics sought a reworking of the new rule, saying it went too far in restricting nonpartisan political activity. Conservatives contend the IRS effort is aimed at silencing rightwing critics of the Obama administration and have called for the agency to drop any plans for new regulations.

“The commissioner has the ability to stop the IRS from stepping on the First Amendment altogether, and that’s exactly what he should do,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.