The Don't Weaponize the IRS Act (H.R. 4889, S. 1777) is a proposed bill in the United States Congress which would reduce the amount of information that nonprofit organizations are required to report to the US Internal Revenue Service.
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| Long title | To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to codify the Trump administration rule on reporting requirements of exempt organizations, and for other purposes. |
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| Enacted by | the 117th United States Congress |
| Sponsored by | Senate: Mike Braun (R-In) |
| Number of co-sponsors | Senate: 48 |
| Codification | |
| Acts affected | Internal Revenue Code of 1986 |
| Legislative history | |
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The bill would be a codification of a Trump-era rule where organizations would not be required to report the names and addresses of their major donors to the IRS.[1]
Background
editThe bill was drawn up partially as a response to proposed changes included in the For the People Act, and partially in response to the 2013 IRS targeting controversy.[1]
Support and opposition
editProponents of the bill claim the bill will improve privacy of taxpayers, avoiding partisan harassment and retaliation, and say that the data collection is unnecessary for tax collection purposes.[2] In Congress, the legislation is supported by exclusively by members of the Republican Party, with 48 cosponsors in the Senate.
Members of the Democratic Party have been sharply critical of the policy behind the bill. In April 2021, 40 Senate Democrats signed a letter calling for the Trump-era rule to be overturned, pointing to the rule's potential to hamper investigations into foreign election spending, dark money, and illegal activity.[3] In May 2021, 30 House Democrats sent another letter directly critical of the bill, citing similar concerns about the disclosures being necessary for transparency in the wake of Citizens United v. FEC decision.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Singman, Brooke (2021-05-19). "McConnell, Braun to roll out bill to prevent Democrats from 'weaponizing' IRS to target conservatives". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Wachob, Luke (2021-05-31). "Braun-McConnell bill would protect Americans from IRS surveillance". The Hill. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Knox, Olivier (2021-04-27). "The Daily 202: Senate Democrats push Biden on 'dark money' donor disclosures". Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
- ^ Alyce McFadden (2021-05-27). "GOP bill would codify IRS rule hiding 'dark money' donors". Open Secrets. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
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