On this edition of Your Call, we discuss tax exemptions for churches and other religious organizations.
Churches have long received special status from the IRS, including facing even fewer requirements than other charitable nonprofits around transparency and accountability. With the next round of federal layoffs expected to cut up to 25 percent of the IRS workforce, we explore the history, use, and misuse of these special tax laws and the challenges of enforcement under an IRS that is stretched thinner than ever before.
Guests:
Spencer Woodman, award-winning reporter for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer, Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Law School
Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Resources:
CNBC: How the IRS layoffs could affect audits and refunds during tax filing season
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists: The IRS unit that audits billionaires has lost 38% of its employees since January, new data shows
The Chronicle of Philanthropy: The IRS and ‘Churches’ That Aren’t Really Churches
The Conversation: How the US government can stop ‘churches’ from getting treated like real churches by the IRS
Americans United: Christian Nationalists want to destroy the Johnson Amendment. Here are five reasons we must keep it.
