IRS problems aren't as complicated as they look once you see the structure. I'm attorney Darrin Mish. I've represented taxpayers before the IRS for three decades \u2014 in Florida, Colorado, Texas, and internationally. Here's the plain-English breakdown.<\/p>\n
For many years, the laws have made it very clear that a church may not support political candidates or contribute to political campaigns. However, recently the IRS has indicated that they are beginning to monitor churches and religious organizations more carefully.<\/p>\n
In not complying with the current laws, churches could find themselves loosing their tax-exempt status.<\/p>\n
A church is allowed to advocate political and social issues. However, as the churches support such issues, they are sometimes walking a fine line between supporting the issue vs. supporting the candidate.<\/p>\n
The IRS has actually has only revoked the exempt status of one church. The Branch Ministries ran a full-page ad in USA TODAY attacking Bill Clinton. In the radar though, there are numerous other churches that are finding themselves as a bull’s-eye for investigation<\/p>\n