The Center for Public Integrity reports that it has obtained new information detailing how rare it is for the IRS to audit a tax-exempt organization for alleged excessive political activity. CPI states that according to the IRS itself the Service has “only begun auditing 26 organizations specifically for political activity since 2010.” CPI blames the lack of audits, even as hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by such organizations for political activity, on a mix of factors, including a reduced Exempt Organizations Division staff, a lack of clarity in the rules governing such activity, and an understandable wariness to address such issues given the continuing aftershocks from the 501(c)(4) application controversy . CPI obtained this information through a Freedom of Information Act request filed late in 2013.
Lloyd Mayer
