Stirred, not shaken

James Bond was known for preferring his martinis “shaken, not stirred.” Stephanie Strom’s article in Monday’s Times on states’ pursuits of taxes on presumed tax-exempt organizations raises some important questions about when things blur, rather than blend (or get shaken rather than stirred). 1. Here is the NYT article, “Tax Exemptions of Charities Raise New [...]

You know you’ve become an issue geek when…

…you regret not being able to attend a law school conference on “Taxing Philanthropy.” Conference was held at Columbia U on Nov 9 and included the following key topics: Subsidizing Charitable Contributions: Incentives, Information and the Private Pursuit of Public Goals, Is Income Tax Exemption for Charities Special? The Issue is Investment Income, Taxing Philanthropy [...]

Wiki 990

Its not easy to make tax forms exciting, but I’ll try my best. Every 501 (c) 3 in the U.S. files an annual tax form called the 990. This form provides basic data on finances and functions of these organizations. The data are, to be kind, less than perfect. The form is, to be kind, [...]

Back to taxes

Here’s a story of a woman who is leaving her homeland in New Zealand because the tax laws are ‘unfavorable’ to charitable giving. This example, and the laws it cites – which have to do with the amount an individual gives, not whether they give – is in line with the research I have seen [...]

Tax law for "for-profit charities"

Avid readers of the New York Times will note today’s article about for-profit philanthropy. The story is here (login req’d). To save you some clicking, here is the abstract of the article the Times’ references by University of Chicago professors Eric Posner and Anup Malani.