Urgent! Action Needed Now
Fox News reported that the IRS was now proposing to require Social Security numbers for any donor that contributes to a non-profit if the donation is $250.00 or more during a calendar year. This is nothing new! It has been in the making for years. Chitwood and Chitwood began to warn clients and conference attendees 25 years earlier that this would be the case.
Substantiation Requirement for Certain Contributions
The IRS has named this rule the "Substantiation Requirement for Certain Contributions," which makes it a voluntary choice, for now. They want Churches and non-profits to do this in lieu of providing written acknowledgements directly to the donors as proof of their donations.
We have done all within our power to get them to change their minds. If the IRS continues with this, the information is reported directly to the IRS via additional tax reporting demands that will be expected of the Church.
Please understand that the Internal Revenue Service does not make suggested proposals for information to be voluntary, unless they have another motive. That motive is that they are getting the backlash out of the way before it becomes mandatory. This has always been the Government's Modus Operandi (M.O.).
Since they are suggesting that the information be voluntarily supplied by the Church or non-profit organization is a good indication that it will be mandatory very soon. This is why Chitwood and Chitwood has been sounding the alarm for years in our Church Management and Tax Seminars.
Our Concerns
If this is adopted, it will become mandatory. When this happens people will be reluctant to make donations if it means they have to share their private, Social Security number.
To protect donors, Churches and ministries would be required to invest already limited funds into new computer equipment and data security to prevent hackers from gaining access to their donors' Social Security numbers and other personal data
Even the IRS advises against sharing Social Security numbers unless "absolutely necessary." Therefore, it is common sense for people to be leery when sharing this most sensitive portion of personal information.
Don't be naive. "Optional" will soon mean "mandatory." They are testing the waters to establish the extent of any public backlash. Then they will back off as they have in this case to make it only voluntary. When they do release it as "mandatory" the backlash will not be as great because the initial sting has already been felt by the public.
Thanks to the hard work of our firm and some others, we have been able to at least get them to word it as voluntary, instead of mandatory, as was their initial plan. However, we only have a small window of opportunity if we are to stop this completely. We need your help!
What You Can Do
1. Contact your Senator immediately and let him or her know that you oppose the Substantiation Requirements for Certain Contributions, IRS proposal. His or her email can be located at
http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/ 2. E-mail Senator Orrin Hatch, the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, at
www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-orrin to let him know you oppose the Substantiation Requirements for Certain Contributions, IRS proposal.
3. Visit
www.regulations.gov website and leave a comment as to your opposition of the Substantiation Requirements for Certain Contributions, IRS proposal.
You must act IMMEDIATELY if we are to stop this proposal in its tracks. The Kingdom is counting on you. Please help your Church friends and forward this email to everyone you know.
CALLING ALL ADVOCATES
Posted By: agnes levine
Wednesday, December 23rd 2015 at 9:22AM
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