GOP, not IRS, should be audited

GOP, not IRS, should be audited

The Inspector General who conducted the audit of the IRS unit, whose job it is to review not-for-profit applications for validity, concluded in his audit report how difficult it is to discern a social welfare organization from a political advocacy group.

The Tea Party groups which claim to be social welfare organizations under tax code section 501(c)(4) do not have to declare the identity of their donors when using this tax filing vehicle. And, although according to the tax code, 501(c)(4) organizations cannot conduct activities of direct or indirect participation or intervention in political campaigns, the Tea Party does exist solely for purposes of electing officials to government offices.

We have heard repeatedly that a certain candidate is a Tea Party favorite. It is commonly understood that there are over 60 Tea Party members in Congress and yet the radicals on the right expect us to believe the Tea Party is a social welfare organization similar to a homeowners association.

The IRS was correct to question the thousands of Tea Party groups which applied for nonprofit status as a social welfare organizations. In truth, the Tea Party needs to file as a tax-exempt organization under section 527-political organization and report its contribution and expenditures with full disclosure.

There is a cover-up in the U.S. and it is perpetrated by the radical wing of the Republican Party, who cries foul anytime someone calls out their fraud on the American people. They are the ones who should be audited and investigated, not the IRS.

Tom Teune

Wheaton