BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THURSDAY JAN. 19, 2017) — Effin’ this and Effin’ that. The F’s have it. F as in failing grade. F as in “farce.” F as in “fake.” F as in Facebook. FF as in “Four Freedoms.” FF as in “Frank Farkas.”

In THE PLANET‘s exclusive coverage of the insult to the Four Freedoms staged by local Democrats a couple Saturdays ago, we included the official permits organizers signed with the city of Pittsfield. One “Frank Farkas” signed off as head organizer, and in what appeared to be an uber-ironic “back of the bus” moment, he made local NAACP head Dennis Powell sign for liability. Why Powell would agree is a matter for another discussion.

THE PLANET invited Farkas to defend his decision to front (another “F”) the march by appearing with us on PLANET VALENTI TELEVISION. Farkas didn’t refuse. He just didn’t respond, hiding as he was behind Judy Williamson‘s skirts on Facebook. Perhaps Farkas doesn’t exist. He has a Facebook page, but so does Jax-Ur from DC Comics’ The Phantom Zone.  Perhaps Farkas is as fake at that.

Churches Can’t Politick , Period

Aside from the intolerant denial of freedom’s rights to those from differing political persuasions who wanted to participate from the dais, the most egregious wrongdoing of the rally’s organizers and enablers was to flout the law restricting not-profit organizations from engaging in political campaigning. At least two Pittsfield churches donated their facilities to this blatantly pro-Democrat Party bund. This, according to THE PLANET‘s read, jeopardizes their Section 501(c)(3) status.

Acquiring 501(c)(3) status has turned into a con game in Pittsfield, one churches have been playing for far longer than most. While Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski must absorb ruinous tax increases year after bloody year courtesy of Pittsfield corrupt politicians and special interests (particularly the teachers’ union), the churches get off scott free. Should theye be taxed? F—, yeah, to use a more colloquial F word. Again, though, that is a topic for another day.

For the sake of discussion, THE PLANET will grant non-profit status to religion — BUT, and it’s a big one, only if the churches abide by the rules. That’s a lot to ask, especially in Pittsfield, where the men and women of the cloth have exemption from taxes but no exemption from the most humiliating forms of co-opting from The Suits.

Simply put, the churches who lent their resources to the FF rally should be called on this illegal action. All it will take is at least one citizen who will file the official complaints.

Here’s How to File A Complaint with the IRS

Here, in another PLANET exclusive, we publish the materials such a like-minded individual or group would need to filed an official complaint with the Internal Revenue Service:

Address: eoclass@irs.gov.

To complain to the IRS about its tax regulations permitting churches to politick over referenda, write to:

 Douglas Shulman, 
Commissioner of Internal Revenue,
10th St & Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20004.

For more information, please see the IRS “Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations.”

FROM THE IRS, official complaint form:

IRS Complaint Process For Tax Exempt Organizations

FS-2008-13, February 2008

The Internal Revenue Service gives serious consideration to complaints made alleging the abuse of the tax exempt status granted to certain organizations.

When reviewing filed complaints, the IRS carefully follows special procedures designed to assure the public of the IRS’s objectivity in the treatment of tax-exempt organizations. These procedures ensure that the IRS operates in an unbiased and appropriate manner and that its compliance programs are not improperly influenced by outside intervention.

The responsibility for administering these procedures belongs to the Exempt Organizations (EO) function, which is part of the IRS’s Tax Exempt and Government Entities Operating Division.

Complaints (Referrals)

A complaint (also called a referral) is any communication alleging that a tax-exempt organization is in potential noncompliance with the tax law. EO receives complaints from the general public, members of Congress, federal and state government agencies, as well as from other parts of the IRS.

Filing a Complaint

A referral of an exempt organization may be made by submitting Form 13909, Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral) Form, downloadable from IRS.gov.

Form 13909 and any supporting documentation may be submitted in a variety of ways. They can be sent via:

— Mail to IRS EO Referrals, Mail Code 4910DAL, 1100 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75242-1198,

— Fax to 214-413-5415,

— or Email to eoclass@irs.gov.

Submission of Form 13909 is voluntary.

In addition to oversight by the IRS, tax-exempt organizations are subject to oversight by state charity regulators and state tax agencies. You may also want to send a copy of the referral you send to us to your state charity regulator and/or state tax agency. [added 1/10/13]

Acknowledgement and Disclosure Prohibition

All referrals are sent to analysts at the EO Referrals Office in Dallas. After a referral is made, the IRS will send an acknowledgement letter to all non-IRS sources making a referral, unless it was made anonymously. To receive an acknowledgement letter, you must provide a return address. We are unable to send acknowledgement letters through e-mail.

Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code prohibits the IRS from disclosing whether it has initiated an examination or the results of any examination. Therefore, the IRS cannot communicate with the original source of a referral beyond the acknowledgement letter.

The Review Process

Upon receipt, research is done to confirm the identity of the organization in question and once this is complete, information is entered into a database to help the IRS keep track of the progress of the review.

An experienced EO revenue agent then performs a thorough technical analysis of the allegation made on the referral. The agent uses a “reasonable belief” standard to evaluate the facts and to determine whether EO should take further action. Before taking action, the revenue agent must determine that the facts create a reasonable belief that the allegations may be true when considered fairly and in light of other reliable information.

The reviewing EO agent will decide one of the following:

• The information does not warrant further action. In this case, the agent inputs information, including rationale, into the database and closes the referral.
• The referral relates to activities that should be considered at a future date. The agent documents the database and schedules the appropriate date to re-evaluate the information.
• The referral contains characteristics that require it to be forwarded to a committee of career EO managers and agents. This committee evaluates referrals monthly — more often in some circumstances — and decides whether to proceed with an examination. The committee also applies the “reasonable belief” standard.
• The information warrants an examination of the organization. The agent documents his or her decision and the reasons for it in the database. The information item then becomes part of the examination file.

If this process results in a decision to examine an organization, the EO Referrals Office will forward the case to a field group for assignment to a revenue agent. The revenue agent will contact the organization and schedule an appointment to begin the examination. (For details on the EO examination process, see Fact Sheet 2008-14.) Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 18-Jun-2015

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“A fine is a tax for doing something wrong. A tax is a fine for doing something right.” — Huntington P. Hollingsworth

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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