The Treasure Department and IRS have issued new rules to restrict the flow of money through non-profits to political activity. The rules are aimed at ending the practice of tax-exempt nonprofits promoting “social welfare” of contributing millions from anonymous donors to political ad campaigns. (The New York Times, November 26, 2013, by Nicholas Confessore)
The new rules are not expected to be in place until after the 2014 elections but right-leaning groups are already criticizing the rules as a blow to the First Amendment. “At first glance, it appears like a blatant abuse of the tax code designed to muzzle the American people’s free speech rights,” said the National Rifle Association. Proponents of the rules say that groups set up with tax-exempt status applied liberal interpretations to IRS rules to on politics to spend lavishly on politic ends. (The Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2013, by John D. McKinnon, Brody Mullins and Thomas Catan)
An attorney for the conservative American Center for Law and Justice lambasted the decision to frame new rules, “This is a feeble attempt by the Obama Administration to justify its own wrong-doing with the IRS targeting of conservative and Tea Party groups. Instead of holding those responsible for the unlawful targeting scheme accountable for their actions, the Obama Administration is determined to further limit the free speech of Americans by attempting to change constitutional practices that are decades old,” said Jay Sekulow. (Examiner.com, November 27, 2013, by Jim Kouri)