US Treasury Dept. issues Press Release “Treasury, IRS Will Issue Proposed Guidance For Tax-Exempt Social Welfare Organizations”

“Ending the year by weighing in again on a topic that caused it great grief back in the spring, the Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday [Nov. 26] defined limits on the political activity of tax-exempt “social welfare” organizations.

The Wall Street Journal writes that the Obama administration is “seeking to reduce the influential role that the secretive groups have played in recent elections. The new ‘guidance’ … would curtail a broad array of these tax-exempt entities’ activities, including campaign advertising, voter registration, get-out-the-vote efforts, and distribution of voter guides and campaign materials.”

The Treasury Department says the guidance, a summary of which is posted here, ‘defines the term ‘candidate-related political activity,’ and would amend current regulations by indicating that the promotion of social welfare does not include this type of activity.’

Translation: Social welfare organizations could not engage in such ‘candidate-related political activity’ and retain their tax-exempt status,” quoting Mark Memmott for National Public Radio (NPR).
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Editor’s note:
Pastor Jeff Adams of Paramount Christian Church, through his religious columns, Letters to the Editor and other activities, along with other “Social welfare organizations” have injected themselves and their organizations into the Yelm political arena for years and recently in Thurston County’s politics.
Since all of their writings are now published and readily accessible on the respective newspapers’ websites, they should take heed in the future if this proposal is passes!