That’s probably why Dave Silverman is on Hannity tonight, which he is.
Anyway – yessssssssss. AA is suing the IRS.
American Atheists and two co-plaintiffs today filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky a lawsuit demanding that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stop giving preferential treatment to churches and religious organizations via the process of receiving non-profit tax-exempt status under the Internal Revue Code (IRC) procedures and definitions.
“American Atheists receives tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3),” said American Atheists President David Silverman, “but because the organization is not classified as religious it costs American Atheists, along with all other secular non-profits, significantly more money each year to keep that status. In this lawsuit, American Atheists and the other plaintiffs are demanding that all tax-exempt organizations, including those characterized as religious by the IRS, have the same requirements to achieve tax-exempt status.”
For example, in order to qualify for nonprofit tax-exempt status, any religious or secular organization must demonstrate it exists to benefit the public. After that basic element is established, religious non- profits are almost always declared automatically tax-exempt under the current IRC rules and definitions. However, secular non-profits face a lengthy application and a fee, which can be as high as $850.
“Religious organizations and churches are treated differently from secular organizations,” explained American Atheists National Legal Director Edwin Kagin. “The exemptions are applied in a way that discriminates solely on the basis of whether an entity’s members express beliefs and practices accepted as religious. The IRS treats your organization better if you profess belief in a supernatural deity.”
It needs to stop!
This is exactly what national-level secular lobbying groups should be doing in every country. Hitting em in the hip pocket.
They haven’t got a hope.
This could be an enormous victory for secularism. No doubt there is going to be a LOT of money allied against AA’s effort. Political/Religious engines are one of the biggest problems this country has in my estimation. It will be a great day when they once again have to follow the same rules as everyone else.
Actually it was taped and they only talked about the Times Square billboard.
http://slymepit.com/phpbb/
The site that Ophelia and the rest of the Baboons don’t want you to see. All their lies and misrepresentations are documented. The Slyme Pit is growing and will bring the Baboons to their knees.
Uh huh. Suuuuuure it will.
ERV’s dog learned to spam? Teaching him to shake hands would have been a better trick, but I guess that’s too friendly.
As a matter of interest, which would be preferable – that secular organisations should find the process equally easy as churches or that churches should find the process as difficult as non-churches?