Earlier this year, NTU was pleased to be among the first organizations to endorse H.R. 1104, the “Fair Treatment for All Donations Act,” a bill that would help prevent the IRS from overzealously targeting certain nonprofit organizations. The legislation passed the House by a voice vote in April, but the Senate hasn’t acted on it yet. Hopefully, yet another bipartisan call for passage will encourage the Senate to send this critical bill to the President’s desk. Just last week, a pair of former Representatives – J.C. Watts (R-OK) and Ron Dellums (D-CA) – penned an excellent op-ed in Roll Call in support of H.R. 1104.
They stated:
In 2012, the IRS sent letters to many 501(c)(4) organizations threatening to impose the Gift Tax on donors of more than $12,000. Therefore, many donors merely capped their donations at $12,000, leaving many local organizations hurting for the funding they counted on to be able to make ends meet in years past. In 2012, the IRS targeted mostly tea party or heavily conservative organizations, but until the tax code is corrected, all organizations are under a heavy threat.
With all organizations imperiled by IRS political targeting, this bill represents a great opportunity for Congress to pass a law that would benefit people of all ideological stripes.
In supporting the bill, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), a highly regarded civil rights leader, praised the bipartisan manner in which the House passed H.R. 1104. He stated, “That is the right thing to do. That is the fair thing to do. That is the just thing to do.”
Now it’s time for the Senate to do what’s right, fair, and just.