Murkowski Rejects Overturning IRS Donor Disclosure Rule
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today voted no on SJ Res 64, a joint resolution to override an Internal Revenue Service decision to no longer require that certain non-profit organizations confidentially disclose their donors to the government in annual reports filed with the agency. These annual reports are known as “IRS Form 990.”
“The Treasury Department concluded that there is no tax law reason to require that certain non-profit organizations disclose their donors to the Internal Revenue Service and continuing to do so places paperwork related burdens on the government and nonprofit organizations,” said Senator Murkowski. “I do, however, think that non-profit organizations that participate in partisan federal campaign activities should publicly disclose the donors of the ‘dark money’ they spend through the Federal Election Commission and co-authored the ‘Follow the Money Act’ toward this end. Though the Congressional Review Act resolution was adopted by a one vote margin, I opposed it because it has nothing to do with public disclosure of ‘dark money.’”
Background: In July, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced that the IRS would no longer require donor information in annual tax filings for nonprofit organizations except for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. The IRS has a distinct tax compliance interest in donor information from 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations in order to determine whether the organization is a publicly supported charity or a private foundation.
