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PRESS
January 18, 2007

CREW Posts 501(c)(3) Documents From the IRS

Washington, DC - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has responded to a lawsuit brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) that sought documents related to its targeting of 501(c)(3) organizations for investigation based on the guidance or input of Members of Congress or the White House. CREW filed suit against the IRS after it failed to substantively respond to a September 21, 2006 FOIA request. On January 3, 2007, the IRS began to send CREW documents related to investigatory procedures and practices of organizations recognized as exempt by the IRS pursuant to section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).

The IRS had launched several investigations in 2004 and 2005 into 501(c)(3) organizations based, in part, on complaints it received from outside sources. The IRS justified those investigations as necessary to determine whether those organizations had complied with the prohibition against political campaign intervention that the IRS imposes on 501(c)(3) organizations.  The new approach of the IRS to investigating and enforcing the ban on partisan activities by charities and religious organizations through the use of its new project, the Political Activities Compliance Initiative (PACI), has resulted in unresolved audits and questions from lawmakers and organizations about the standards of the IRS and its evenhanded enforcement of the law.

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