What isn't getting reported with regard to the IRS - the 501(c)(4) loophole and Citizens United ruling
More information needs to come to light regarding the recent outbreak of news regarding the IRS for me to fully conclude on the matter. However, at this point, I have a feeling that like with many conservatives calling Benghazi a massive cover-up and scandal being quite an exaggeration, the IRS ordeal is also getting blown out-of-proportion. What seems to be getting ignored by a very large majority of the media is the the effect the 2010 Citizens United ruling had on this whole process. After the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United by a count of 5 to 4, the number of groups applying for 501(c)(4) status rose from 1,500 in 2010 to 3,400 in 2012 - more than twice the number reported just two years earlier, prior to the Citizens United ruling. For those that don't know, 501(c)(4) status is the section of the federal tax code which governs nonprofit groups whom are dedicated to "social welfare." Given that definition, such groups are prohibited from being ...