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Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 501', '§ 1', '§ 1', '§\n501', '§ 1', '§ 170', '§ 162', '§ 1', '§ 6033', '§ 6104', '§ 6104', '§ 527', '§ 6104', '§ 1', '§ 1']

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|Likes: 0Published by blankamncoCommon questions about 501(c)(4) tax exempt organizations in wake of ongoing IRS scandal.Common questions about 501(c)(4) tax exempt organizations in wake of ongoing IRS scandal.More info:Categories:Types, Business/LawPublished by: blankamnco on Jun 05, 2013Copyright:Attribution Non-commercialAvailability:Read on Scribd mobile: iPhone, iPad and Android.download as PDF, TXT or read online from ScribdFlag for inappropriate content|Add to collectionSee moreSee lesshttps://www.scribd.com/doc/145918095/FAQS-on-501c4-s12/08/2013pdftextoriginal D
Associate Dean for Faculty andFrank E. and Virginia H. Bazler DesignatedProfessor in Business Law
tobin.46@osu.edu
What are 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations? Section 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations are tax-exempt organizations that have astheir primary purpose engaging in social welfare activities. Section 501(c)(4) defines socialwelfare organizations as:Civic leagues or organizations not organized for profit but operated exclusivelyfor the promotion of social welfare, or local associations of employees, themembership of which is limited to the employees of a designated person or persons . . . and the net earnings of which are devoted exclusively to charitable,educational, or recreational purposes.See § 501(c)(4); Treas. Reg. § 1.501(c)(4)-1.
What is a social welfare activity? Treasury Regulation § 1.501(c)(4)-1(a)(2)(i) provides that an organization qualifies as a§
501(c)(4) organization if “it is primarily engaged in promoting in some way the
common goodand general welfare of the people of the community. An organization embraced within thissection is one which is operated primarily for the purpose of bringing about civic bettermentsand social improvements.
Lobbying is considered a social welfare activity as long as it is
related to the organization’s exempt purpose.
Why doesn’t political activity count as a social welfare function?
Treasury Regulation § 1.501(c)(4)-
1(a)(2)(ii) provides that “the promotion of social
welfare does not include direct or indirect participation or intervention in political campaigns on
behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.”
Lobbying and other activities toinfluence legislation are not considered political intervention.
How is intervention in a political campaign defined for tax purposes? The IRS uses a facts and circumstances test to determine whether an organization isintervening in a political campaign. See Rev. Rul. 2007-41; Rev. Rul. 2004-06
The IRSindicated that key factors include:
1) whether the statement identifies one or more candidatesfor a give public office; 2) whether the statement expresses approval or disapproval for one or more candidates’ positions and
/or actions; 3) whether the statement is delivered close in time tothe election; 4) whether the issue addressed in the communication has been raised as an issuedistinguishing candidates for a given office; 5) whether the communication is part of an ongoingseries of communications by the organization on the same issue that are made independent of thetiming of any election; and 6) whether the timing of the communication and identification of thecandidate are related to a non-electoral event such as a scheduled vote on specific legislation byan officeholder who also happens
to be a candidate for public office.” See Rev. Rule 2007
-41.See also Rev. Rul. 2004-06 (listing other factors and examples).Revenue Rule 2007-41 indicates,
A communication is particularly at risk of politicalcampaign intervention when it makes reference to candidates or voting in a specific upcoming
What does it mean to be “tax - exempt”?
exempt” means that the organization is not taxed on its income.
Contributions to 501(c)(4) organizations are not included in the organization
s income and theorganization is not taxed on income generated from activities related to its exempt function.Unlike 501(c)(3) charities, contributions to social welfare organizations are not tax deductibleunder § 170. (Businesses may be able to deduct some or all of dues paid to these organizationsas ordinary and necessary business expenses under § 162).
Must a social welfare organization apply for recognition of 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status? No. A social welfare organization is not required to file for tax-exempt status. It can be a
“nondeclaring”
social welfare organization. Even if an organization does not file for recognition, it is required to file a Form 990 information return. This return must be filed by the15
day of the 5
month of the end of the taxable year. The organization can also seek a 6-month extension. Thus a social welfare organization may choose not to file an informationreturn for 22.5 months after its creation. See Treas. Reg. § 1.6033-1(e).
What is a Form 990 and is it public? A Form 990 is an information annual return filed by tax-exempt organizations. See§ 6033. Organizations are required to make their Form 990s available to the public either byrequest or the organizations make the Form 990 widely available (for example by posting it onthe Internet). See § 6104(a), (d). Although the Form 990 includes information regardingcontributors who give at least $5,000, that information is not made public. See § 6104(b).
Why do social welfare organizations file for recognition? Although a social welfare organization is not required to file for recognition, many socialwelfare organizations seek recognition by filing Form 1024. The IRS lists several reasons whyan organization may want to file for recognition, including:
1) public recognition of tax-exemptstatus; 2) exemption from certain state taxes; 3) nonprofit mailing privileges, etc.
Organizationsmay also file because: 1) they believe they are required to do so; 2) it creates fewer administrative burdens when they later file administrative returns; and 3) it protects them from being redesignated as a § 527 political organization and thus subject to tax for failing to disclose.See
FSA 200046038 (discussing problem of organizations filing Form 990 without having previously filed a Form 1024).
What are the filing obligations of social welfare organizations? Social welfare organizations are required to file information returns on Form 990. This
form is a public document and contains information about the organization’s activities. The
form also requires the organization to disclose donors who contributed $5,000 or more. Theinformation regarding donors is not included in the public disclosure. See §§ 6104, 6033, Treas.Reg. 1.6104(b)-1(b) (prohibiting disclosure of donor information on Form 990).
If the statutory language in section 501(c)(4) defines a social welfare organization as an organization exclusively engaged in social welfare activities, why is the standard used “primary” and not “exclusively”?
Treasury Regulation § 1.501(c)(4)-1 provides that a social welfare organization must beorganized primarily for a social welfare function. The regulation expands the statutorydefinition. Specifically, Treasury Regulation § 1.501(c)(4)-
1(a)(2)(i) provides “
In general . An organization is operated exclusively for the promotion of social welfare if it is primarily engaged in promoting in some way the common good and general
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