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IRS and Political Speech: The Tax Collection Agency Should Not Police Speech
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

Groups seeking tax-exempt status as a nonprofit organization must apply to the IRS to obtain this classification. Advocacy nonprofits, designated by a 501(c)(4) status, are one such classification of tax-exempt organizations that are permitted to engage in some political activities, so long as the majority of their activities are not political. As the Tea Party movement gained its footing in…

Don’t give the IRS personal information it doesn’t need
March 8, 2018   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Our charitable giving, what nonprofit organizations we contribute to, says a lot about us. If I know that you contribute to the NAACP Legal ...

Letter in Support of H.R. 4916 (“Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act”)
February 21, 2018   •  By David Keating   •  , ,

The Institute for Free Speech writes in support of H.R. 4916, the “Preventing IRS Abuse and Protecting Free Speech Act.” The measure, sponsored by ...

Letter in Support of Repeal of the Internal Revenue Service’s Form 990, Schedule B
December 7, 2017   •  By David Keating   •  ,

The Institute for Free Speech[1] writes in support of repeal of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Form 990, Schedule B requirement. Eliminating this mandate ...

Understanding the History and Impact of the Johnson Amendment – and Why It Chills Speech
December 2, 2017   •  By IFS staff   •  ,

The “Johnson Amendment” is a provision of the tax code that prohibits a certain class of nonprofits, including charities and churches, from engaging in ...

There’s Nothing Sweet About Censorship
November 28, 2017   •  By Alex Cordell   •  , ,

For many of us, the closest encounter we have ever had with threatening phone calls and messages or cars tailing you on your way ...

A lesson on abuse of power by Obama and his Senate allies 
October 10, 2017   •  By Brad Smith   •  ,

Republicans on Capitol Hill are outraged by the announcement that the Department of Justice would stick with the Obama administration decision not to prosecute ...

Trump is Right: Destroy The Johnson Amendment
March 14, 2017   •  By David Keating   •  ,

By David Keating Despite some hysterical reactions, the truth is that, as it stands, the Johnson Amendment is horribly written. It chills vital speech in ...

Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Becerra
February 21, 2017   •  By IFS staff   •  , , , ,

Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is challenging the state of California’s requirement that the organization provide to the state a list of ...

Judge Raymond Kethledge Applies Careful Scrutiny in Striking Contribution Ban, But Waves Through a Law Targeting a Union
January 26, 2017   •  By David Keating   •  , , ,

Hon. Raymond Kethledge United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (2008-Present) We found six cases where Judge Kethledge wrote or joined an ...

Analysis of Washington State Initiative 1464
September 14, 2016   •  By Eric Wang   •  , ,

Initiative 1464, which is on the Washington statewide ballot for the upcoming general election, would amend the state’s campaign finance and lobbying laws in ...

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